Turkey is inflicting devastating damage to critical civillian infrastructure in north-eastern Syria during attacks on suspected Kurdish militant positions, a rights organization said on Friday.
"As the world's attention remains fixed on the devastating conflict unfolding in Gaza, another crisis is intensifying under the radar in northeast Syria," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.
Turkey's airstrikes and drone attacks on critical civilian infrastructure in north-east Syria "are putting livelihoods at risk and severing communities from electricity, medical care, and other essential services," HRW said.
"Attacks which cause disproportionate damage to civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international humanitarian law, and deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure is a war crime," it added.
Turkey claims that it is mainly hitting Kurdish-led militia posts in north-east Syria.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the Kurdish militia YPG, and local organizations, have denied Ankara's claims.
"In these attacks, Turkey is mainly trying to hit our infrastructure to hurt civilians. Turkey claims that it killed a number of our fighters. These allegations are repeated lies," SDF spokesman Farhad al-Shami told dpa.
Ankara regularly targets the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG, which it considers national threats.
The Turkish military has intensified its attacks after several Turkish soldiers were killed in at least two attacks on Turkish military bases in northern Iraq since December.
Ankara controls areas in northern Syria and has military bases in Iraq's north in its bid to push alleged PKK and affiliated groups from its border.