Israel’s Weaponization of Water: An Urgent Call to Provide Full Access to Water

The weaponization of water and its infrastructure has become increasingly evident in recent armed conflicts. These acts seriously threaten the lives of the civilian population, especially the most vulnerable groups, such as children. Two days after Hamas launched its attack, Israel imposed a “total” blockade and cut the water supplies into the already besieged Gaza Strip –home to approximately 2.3 million people. The people of Gaza are in terrible peril now and the blockage of water supplies only compounds the misery of the millions of civilians.  A shortage of water and lack of access to sanitation may cause or aggravate other devastating crises, such as malnutrition and spread of diseases. We call upon the government of Israel to respect its obligations under international law, to provide full access to water services to Gaza, and to refrain from targeting necessary water infrastructure and related personnel. We ask both parties to stop the war.