The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is reporting: “On 4 and 5 November, seven water facilities across the Gaza Strip were directly hit and sustained major damage, including three sewage pipelines in Gaza city, two water reservoirs (in Gaza City, Rafah and Jabalia refugee camp) and two water wells in Rafah. The Gaza municipality warned about the imminent risk of sewage flooding.” See the most recent report from the office, including information about the dire water situation.
There are reports of Israel bombing relief trucks from the Red Cross.
Yoav Gallant, the head of Israel’s military said in October: “We are putting a complete siege on Gaza. No electricity, no food, no water, no gas. It’s all closed. We’re fighting animals and are acting accordingly.”
ZEIAD ABBAS SHAMROUCH, ziad@mecaforpeace.org, @MECAForPeace
Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch is executive director of the Middle East Children’s Alliance. He said today: “Children in Gaza are not only living through a terrifying attack on their homes, schools, and communities. Now they are thirsty and getting sick from the small amounts of polluted water available to drink. Israel’s deliberate attacks on access to water in Gaza will lead to more deaths and disease, especially among young children. So they are not just killing thousands of children through their bombings, but they are working to ensure that those who survive are psychologically harmed and physically traumatized as the result of drinking polluted water. …
“Due to Israel cutting off some of the supply of water and destroying key water infrastructure and storage tanks, people are being forced to drink water from unsafe sources. Dehydration and waterborne diseases are spreading and medicine is running out. There are outbreaks of chickenpox, scabies and diarrhea due to the shortage of water.”
The group also notes that Al-Jazeera TV is reporting tens of thousands in Gaza, most of them children, are suffering from severe diarrhea as a result of drinking contaminated water.