HRW urges US, Germany to halt arms sales to Israel to avoid complicity in Gaza ‘war crimes’

CAIRO – 15 November 2024: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called for the United States, Germany and other countries to immediately halt the transfer of weapons and military assistance to Israel amid war crimes committed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

“Continuing to provide arms to Israel risks complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other grave human rights violations,” the US-based advocacy group said in a report released on Thursday.

The report stated that Israeli authorities, since October 2023, have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, displacing over 90 percent of the population in Gaza (1.9 million Palestinians), and destroying much of the enclave.

The HRW underlined Israeli deliberate demolition of homes and vital civilian infrastructure, including in the so-called “buffer zones” and security “corridors,” where Palestinians were displaced.

The report stressed that the Israeli officials’ actions do not align with the laws of war, contrary to their claims.

Nadia Hardman, a refugee and a migrant rights researcher at the HRW, stated that “the Israeli government cannot claim to be keeping Palestinians safe when it kills them along escape routes, bombs so-called safe zones, and cuts off food, water, and sanitation.”

Israeli authorities are responsible for crimes against humanity in Gaza.

New HRW report examines how Israeli authorities’ conduct has led to the displacement of over 90% of Gaza's population and widespread destruction.

Read the full report: https://t.co/NdvymRim6A pic.twitter.com/xNRaaztM1c

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) November 14, 2024

The HRW, in its report, found that:

- Israel's mass displacement of Gaza's population lacks legitimate military justification and has caused harm, fear, and anxiety.

* Evacuation orders have been inconsistent and often hindered by attacks on safe routes.

- Israel has failed to provide necessary aid and infrastructure, leaving displaced civilians in dire conditions.

Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have killed 43,764 Palestinians and injured nearly 103,500 others, according to the health ministry in Gaza on Friday. The war also devastated critical infrastructure and pushed the enclave toward the brink of famine.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says humanitarian situation for civilians in Gaza is “increasingly dire” with families struggling amid severe shortages of food, safe water, medical supplies, and shelter.

The ICRC added in a report this week that nearly the entire population in the enclave also lacks access to safe and effective healthcare.