Devastation and suffering from heavy rainfall and storms that hit Gaza are the foreseeable consequences of Israel’s ongoing genocide and were an "utterly preventable tragedy," Amnesty International said Wednesday.
In a statement, the international human rights group said the devastating scenes of flooded tents and collapsed buildings in Gaza that have emerged in recent days "cannot be blamed solely on bad weather."
"They are the foreseeable consequences of Israel’s ongoing genocide and deliberate policy of blocking the entry of shelter and repair materials for the displaced," said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy, and campaigns.
Stressing how Israel has only allowed extremely limited supplies to reach the enclave’s people, the statement said this is further indication that Israeli authorities are continuing to “deliberately inflict on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction – an act prohibited under the Genocide Convention, an act prohibited under the Genocide Convention.”
"The devastation and deaths caused by the storm in Gaza provide yet another wakeup call to the international community, paid for with the lives of people who had managed to survive two years of Israel’s ongoing genocide," underlined Rosas.
She called on the international community to urgently enable Gaza to prepare for the severe winter conditions by pressing Israel to end the blockade on Gaza and lift all restrictions on the entry of life-saving supplies, including shelter materials, nutritious food, and medical aid.
The statement stressed that after multiple displacements, destruction of or damage to at least 81% of structures, and the designation of nearly 58% of Gaza’s total area as no-go zones, the overwhelming majority of Palestinians are now living in dilapidated tents or damaged shelters.
Gaza flood was 'utterly preventable tragedy,' says Amnesty International |
