UNICEF warned on Wednesday that water and sanitation facilities in the Gaza Strip are on the verge of collapse and that children only have access to 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day.
“The minimum amount of water needed in an emergency is 15 liters, which is enough for drinking, washing and cooking. Just for survival it is estimated that the minimum is three liters per day”said UNICEF.
The Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, stressed that access to a minimum amount of drinking water is “a matter of life and death” and that children in the Gaza Strip “barely have a drop to drink. “
“Children and their families consume water from unsafe sources that are highly salty or polluted. Without clean water, many more children will die from deprivation and disease in the coming days”he added.
The UN agency said that half of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people arriving at the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza since early December are children and they are in urgent need of food, water, shelter, medicine and protection.
The resumption of hostilities, lack of electricity supply, fuel shortages, limited access and damaged infrastructure left at least 50% of water and sanitation facilities damaged or destroyed.
“The impact of this situation on children is particularly dramatic, as they are also the most susceptible to dehydration, diarrhea, illness and malnutrition”warned UNICEF, which reports an increase in these types of conditions.
The lack of toilets, showers and hygiene products in shelters in the Gaza Strip is also causing an increase in the spread of disease.
“We are doing our best to meet the needs of the population, but the equipment and supplies we can obtain are not sufficient,” Russell lamented.
“Continued bombing, coupled with restrictions on access of materials and fuel to the territory, is preventing fundamental progress. We urgently need these supplies to restore damaged water systems.”Russell asked.
UNICEF called on authorities to enable them to act quickly, safely and without obstacles. This includes, he emphasized, enabling water and sanitation needs in the Gaza Strip to be met through the repair and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure.
Russell also demanded that all parties meet their international legal responsibilities to protect water and sanitation facilities and the workers responsible for their maintenance and repair.
The unprecedented attack by the Islamist movement Hamas on southern Israel on October 7 left more than 1,200 dead and more than 240 kidnapped. Israel declared war on the Palestinian movement and launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The operation has already left more than 19,600 dead, mostly civilians, and 52,500 injured, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip’s health ministry, and about 1.9 million displaced, according to the UN.
Source: DN
