HRW Describes Israeli Defense Minister Statements as ‘Abhorrent’

Human Rights Watch (HRW) slammed Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s call for the imposition of a comprehensive siege on Gaza – including cutting off food, fuel, and electricity describing it as “abhorrent”.

“Depriving the population in the occupied territory of food and electricity is collective punishment, which is a war crime, as is using starvation as a weapon of war,” HRW’s Israel and Palestine director Omar Shakir said in a statement on Monday.

“The International Criminal Court should take note of this call to commit a war crime,” he added.

Since Saturday, Israeli warplanes have been bombing densely populated neighborhoods in the occupied Gaza Strip.

The Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll from the Israeli attacks had reached 510, including 91 children and 61 women, with 2,751 others injured.

In a statement, the Israeli air force said it had dropped some 2,000 munitions and more than 1,000-ton bombs on Gaza in the last 20 hours.

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