Gaza Faces Escalating Water Crisis Following Shutdown of Primary Desalination Plant
The principal desalination facility in Gaza has ceased operations due to fuel shortages and the ongoing Israeli blockade, exacerbating an existing water crisis that poses a significant threat to more than 1.2 million inhabitants.
Gaza Municipality reported on Monday that the principal desalination facility in the northern region of the city has completely halted operations. This development comes amid an exacerbating fuel crisis and ongoing Israeli hostilities, leaving the city in a dire state of water scarcity.
The municipality reports that the discontinuation of the Mekorot water supply line, combined with an escalating fuel shortage, has significantly intensified the critical water crisis currently affecting Gaza.
The primary water supply line in the city has ceased operations, resulting in widespread disruption of water access throughout the municipality. Authorities caution that the situation is rapidly deteriorating into a looming humanitarian crisis.
In Gaza, the cessation of operations at the majority of water wells has been reported, attributed to a fuel shortage. The municipality has highlighted that this situation places over 1.2 million displaced individuals and local residents in immediate jeopardy, amid the collapse of water infrastructure and the lack of available emergency responses.
The ongoing Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip continues to severely restrict access to vital resources, with water sources under stringent control and the entry of essential equipment and fuel for desalination plants and wells being impeded. This has exacerbated the longstanding water crisis in the region.
The suspension of the Mekorot line, a critical external source of water supply to Gaza, is increasingly regarded as a pivotal element exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region. With over a million people at risk, the situation demands urgent international intervention to prevent further deterioration.
At least eight Palestinians, predominantly children, lost their lives, and over a dozen individuals sustained injuries last week following an Israeli missile strike on central Gaza, as reported by local officials. The Israeli military claimed that the missile failed to hit its designated target due to a technical malfunction.
Israeli military forces announced that their operation targeted an Islamic Jihad operative in the vicinity. However, the missile impacted “dozens of meters from the intended target,” according to their statement.
A missile hit a water distribution facility in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp, resulting in the deaths of six children and injuries to 17 others, as reported by Dr. Ahmed Abu Saifan, an emergency physician at al-Awda Hospital.
