An investigation announced on Monday, July 29, is underway into whether Israeli forces who blew up the main drinking water reservoir in Rafah in southern Gaza committed a war crime on July 26. A soldier reportedly posted a video on social media that showed the explosion with the caption: “The destruction of Tel Sultan’s water reserve in honor of Shabbat.”
The order to destroy the water facility allegedly came from Israeli army commanders. However, senior officers reportedly did not sign off on the decision to blow up the reservoir. The water reserve is near a neighborhood that is close to designated humanitarian areas.
The Geneva Convention bars the destruction of facilities essential for the survival of people during war, including drinking water stations.
The Israeli army said that it is probing the incident as a “suspected” violation of international law and that it may bring the case to Israel’s Military Police for further investigation.
The destruction of the water facility in Rafah follows a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The United Nations announced that Polio had been detected in sewage in parts of Gaza. This comes as access to clean water and basic hygiene become scarcer in the region.
Israeli Defense Forces estimate around 20,000 Palestinians remain in Rafah, which once had around 1.4 million people sheltering there when Israel launched its offensive in May.
According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll among Palestinians is approaching 40,000 people since the war that started with the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7.