Gaza - Saba:
The Palestinian Water Authority issued an urgent appeal on Saturday, warning of an imminent humanitarian disaster threatening over 2.3 million citizens in the Gaza Strip due to the near-total collapse of water and sanitation services amid the ongoing Israeli occupation's aggressive war, now in its 19th month.
In a released statement, the Water Authority stated that the destruction of infrastructure, power cuts, the blockade on fuel and essential supplies by the occupation have led to an almost complete halt of water services, emphasizing that Gaza has become "a region dying of thirst."
Technical assessments indicate that 85% of water and sanitation facilities in the Strip have sustained severe damage, while water extraction has dropped by 70-80%. Consequently, per capita water consumption in Gaza has plummeted to just 3-5 liters per day—far below the minimum emergency threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.
The authority also warned that the discharge of wastewater into residential areas and the flooding of rainwater basins pose a serious risk of disease outbreaks, as residents are forced to rely on saline and unsafe drinking water.
It stressed that these Israeli policies constitute a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Genocide Convention, and the Rome Statute.
The Water Authority called on the international community to act immediately to halt the aggression, lift the blockade, provide protection for technical personnel, support the Palestinian government's emergency interventions and recovery plans.
The water crisis in Gaza is not new but has escalated catastrophically following Israeli bombardment, which has caused widespread destruction to vital infrastructure, turning access to clean water into a daily challenge and an ongoing ordeal for countless families.
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