Israeli army commanders reportedly gave the order for soldiers to blow up the main drinking water reservoir facility in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in a flagrant violation of international law.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the army was investigating possible violations of international law by Israeli forces following an incident last week in which the water facility was destroyed by an army unit belonging to the 401st Brigade of the Armoured Corps.
The explosion was filmed and posted on social media, captioned: "The destruction of Tel Sultan's water reservoir in honour of Shabbat."
The assault on Palestinians' access to the basic essentials of life, such as water, has been a feature of Israel's current war on the besieged territory, since 9 October, when Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant ordered a "complete siege" on Gaza, including the halting of electricity, food, water and fuel.