Human rights group Amnesty International on Friday urged Israel to "immediately" lift its blockade on Gaza, saying the "collective punishment" of civilians for Hamas' terrorist atrocities amounts to a war crime.
Israel's blockade on the densely-populated territory "has plunged the Gaza strip into darkness and will exacerbate an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe", Amnesty said in a statement.
"The collective punishment of Gaza's civilian population amounts to a war crime - it is cruel and inhumane", it said.
"Amnesty reiterates that Palestinian civilians are not responsible for the crimes of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups and Israel must not, under international law, make them suffer for acts they play no role in and cannot control".
Amnesty also urged the international community "to work towards an agreement over humanitarian corridors", in Gaza, where more than 430,000 people have been displaced.
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