دانشگاه قم پژوهش تطبیقی حقوق اسلام و غرب 2476-4213 13 1 2026 03 28 The Weaponization of Water in International Law: A Case Study of the Gaza Crisis (2023-2024) سلاح‌سازی آب از منظر حقوق بین‌الملل؛ با تأکید بر بحران غزه ۲۰۲۳-۲۰۲۴ 149 173 3623 10.22091/csiw.2025.12051.2620 FA مهناز رشیدی استادیار گروه حقوق، دانشکده علوم انسانی، دانشگاه شاهد، تهران، ایران. 0000-0003-4675-5460 زهرا ملکی راد دانشجوی دکتری حقوق بین‌الملل عمومی، دانشکده حقوق، دانشگاه قم، قم، ایران. 0000-0001-6988-3380 Journal Article 2025 01 04 The inherent scarcity of freshwater resources worldwide and the vital importance of access to water for human life, survival, and societal stability render water a potential instrument for the attainment of political and military objectives, a phenomenon designated in the literature as the weaponization of water. This practice, which may assume strategic, tactical, or coercive forms, is particularly prevalent during armed conflicts, where parties seek to exploit the adversary's dependence on water to secure military advantage or to coerce civilian populations. The ongoing conflict in Gaza, which commenced in October 2023, presents a stark and well-documented instance of this phenomenon, with Israel having employed water as a weapon and an instrument of warfare in pursuit of its political and military objectives. This article addresses the central question of the legal status of the weaponization of water in the Gaza Strip under public international law. Adopting a descriptive-analytical methodology and drawing upon a comprehensive review of treaty provisions, customary international law, and the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals, the study concludes that the weaponization of water during armed conflicts is fundamentally inconsistent with the obligations of States under the cardinal principles of international humanitarian law, including the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives, the principle of humane treatment, and the prohibition of the infliction of unnecessary suffering and superfluous injury upon civilians. The deliberate deprivation of the civilian population of access to water, whether through the destruction of water infrastructure, the obstruction of humanitarian relief, or the contamination of water sources, further contravenes the specific prohibition, enshrined in Article 54 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, of attacking, destroying, removing, or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, as well as the customary prohibition of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. The study further finds that the acts committed by Israel in relation to the weaponization of water during the Gaza conflict may constitute conduct forming the material elements of international crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, as reflected in the statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court seeking warrants of arrest against senior Israeli officials. The article concludes that the existing normative framework governing the protection of water resources during armed conflicts remains fragmentary and insufficient, and that the progressive development of international law in this field, including the conclusion of a comprehensive convention on the protection of the environment in armed conflicts, constitutes an urgent imperative. <span lang="FA">کمبود ذاتی منابع آب شیرین در جهان و اهمیت دسترسی به آن برای حیات، بقا و ثبات جوامع موجب می‌شود که در مواردی دولت‌ها آن را وسیله‌ای برای حصول اهداف سیاسی خود قرار دهند. این پدیده که از آن به‌عنوان سلاح‌سازی آب یاد می‌شود، به‌ویژه در جریان مخاصمات مسلحانه رایج است. هم‌اکنون در جنگ غزه که از اکتبر ۲۰۲۳ آغاز شده است، اسرائیل برای پیشبرد اهداف سیاسی‌نظامی خود، از آب به‌عنوان یک سلاح و ابزار جنگی استفاده می‌کند. ازاین‌رو، سؤال این نوشتار آن است که سلاح‌سازی آب در غزه از دیدگاه حقوق بین‌الملل چه وضعیتی دارد؟ این پژوهش به شیوه توصیفی‌تحلیلی و مطالعه کتابخانه‌ای در پاسخ به این سؤال به این نتیجه رسیده است که سلاح‌سازی آب در جریان مخاصمات مسلحانه با تعهدات دولت‌ها به موجب اصول اساسی حقوق بشردوستانه ازجمله اصل تفکیک، اصل رفتار انسانی و منع ایراد رنج و درد غیر ضروری به غیرنظامیان و برخی قواعد مرتبط مانند ممنوعیت به قحطی کشاندن جمعیت غیرنظامی مغایرت دارد.</span> https://csiw.qom.ac.ir/article_3623_c95d216e6d3aec780cb2911e705b62ef.pdf