Human Rights Watch said Israel’s total blockade on the necessities of life for everyday people in Gaza was a war crime.
&ldquoDefense Minister Gallant’s statements are abhorrent&rdquo Omar Shakir Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Monday.
&ldquoDepriving the population in an occupied territory of food and electricity is collective punishment which is a war crime as is using starvation as a weapon of war. The International Criminal Court should take note of this call to commit a war crime&rdquo he said.
For his part United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was &ldquodeeply distressed&rdquo by the siege announcement and warned that Gaza’s already dire humanitarian situation will now &ldquoonly deteriorate exponentially&rdquo.
Guterres also said some 137000 people were taking shelter with UNRWA the UN agency that provides essential services to Palestinians.
Earlier the Israeli army minister declared in a press conference that a total blockade would be imposed on the Gaza Strip. The blockade will include a ban on admission of food electricity and fuel as a punitive measure against all the people of the Gaza Strip which has been under an unfair siege for 17 years.
