Gaza City is facing an unprecedented water crisis as supplies fell below 25 percent of the minimum requirement, local authorities warned on Sunday.
In a statement, Gaza Municipality said that 75 percent of the city’s water wells have been destroyed by the Israeli army since October 2023.
The remaining water wells operate for a few hours daily with a limited amount of fuel due to the Israeli blockade and closure of the territory’s border crossings, it added.
“As temperatures rise and the demand for water increases among both residents and displaced persons, Gaza City is experiencing catastrophic conditions,” it said.
The daily water supply does not rise above 35,000 cubic meters, down from 120,000 cubic meters per day before the Israeli onslaught, according to data released by the municipality.
“The daily per capita water share has fallen to between 3 and 12 liters during the war, far below the internationally recommended minimum of 100 liters per day.”
The municipality said that the ongoing Israeli military offensives also prevent the distribution of water across the city, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure and the water networks.
The full shutdown of the northern Gaza desalination plant deprived many Palestinians in Gaza City of desalinated and healthy water, it said.
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Risk of famine
Mass displacement of thousands by the Israeli army from northern and eastern Gaza City to the southern and western parts significantly increased the water demand, the municipality said.
It called on the international community and humanitarian organisations to take immediate action to “help mitigate the scale of the ongoing humanitarian disaster and assist the municipality in securing the minimum required water supply for the population.”
Israel has kept all border crossings shut since March 2, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 7, 2023, killing over 54,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million population.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
Gaza has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world. On International Children’s Day, thousands of injured kids lie in tents and hospital beds, waiting for help that never comes.
