HUMAN Rights Watch has accused Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, with US President Joe Biden’s administration criticised for its blatant ‘double standards’ in addressing these atrocities.
The organisation’s World Report 2025 highlights the scale and severity of Israeli actions, describing them as unparalleled in recent history.
According to the report, Israeli forces in 2024 were responsible for killing, wounding, starving, and forcibly displacing Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Entire communities were destroyed, as homes, schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure were levelled.
The report states: ‘Tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza were killed and wounded. The military forcibly displaced Palestinians from their homes, a crime against humanity, and Israeli authorities deliberately deprived civilians of food, water, and other essentials necessary for survival, constituting atrocity crimes, acts of genocide, and mounting evidence of genocidal intent.’
The report further condemns ongoing arms sales to Israel, warning that such actions risk implicating supplier nations in complicity.
Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, asserted: ‘Israel’s decades-long systematic repression of Palestinians worsened dramatically, plunging civilians in Gaza into a horrifying abyss, but possibilities for international justice are emerging.’
She added: ‘Continued weapons sales to Israel by its partners, despite overwhelming evidence of unchecked atrocity crimes, place those countries and officials at risk of direct complicity.’
The 546-page document, now in its 35th edition, reviews human rights practices in over 100 countries.
The report’s findings on Gaza spotlight Israel’s deepening repression of Palestinians and the devastating consequences of its genocidal military campaign.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that at least $10 billion will be required over the next five to seven years to reconstruct Gaza’s health system, which has been devastated by Israeli aggression.
This announcement follows the recent ceasefire agreement, which brought an end to 15 months of sustained military assaults on the besieged territory.
In a statement released on Thursday, the WHO urged its member states to provide immediate and long-term support to rebuild Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure.
The organisation highlighted the dire need for international assistance, emphasising that rebuilding efforts must address both immediate health crises and the structural damage inflicted by Israeli attacks.
‘The urgent health needs and the longer-term reconstruction of Gaza’s healthcare system require substantial global support,’ the statement read.
Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, stressed that the United Nations alone cannot manage the scale of the crisis.
He noted that flexible funding is essential to mount both an immediate and sustainable response to the pressing needs of Gaza’s population.
