ISTANBUL

The UN experts on Tuesday condemned the Israeli use of "thirst as a weapon" to kill Palestinians.

"Israel is using thirst as a weapon to kill Palestinians," the experts said in a statement and called the cutting off of water and food a "lethal bomb" killing mostly children and babies.

Finding the sight of infants dying in their mothers' arms "unbearable," the experts noted that "this catastrophe" was "predicted" as Israel's blockade and destruction of civilian infrastructure left most of Gaza's population displaced without access to the minimum vital amount of drinking water.

"How can world leaders sleep while this suffering continues?” they questioned.

The experts called Israel's acts in Gaza "barbaric," underlining that the related actions of government officials constitute crimes under the Rome Statute.

“These intentional, widespread and systematic attacks against Palestinians are a deliberate infliction of conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of a population – another act of genocide," they explained.

The experts further called for "immediate deployment of naval humanitarian aid" from all Mediterranean ports, delivering fuel, water, supplies, and personnel to meet urgent humanitarian needs.

“The international community must act now to end this inhumane and unlawful deprivation and to guarantee the urgent restoration of water and sanitation in Gaza,” they added.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 147 people have died of starvation since October 2023 – when Israel started its relentless offensive – including 88 children.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to a severe hunger crisis.