Nine out of 10 Gazans unable to access safe drinking water: UNICEF.
Severe water shortages in Gaza have reached critical levels, with only one in 10 people currently able to access safe drinking water, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Monday.
The situation has deteriorated further following Israel’s decision on Sunday to cut power to the enclave – in a bid to increase pressure on Hamas over hostage releases – disrupting vital desalination operations.
Rosalia Bollen, a UNICEF official in Gaza, reported that 600,000 people who had regained access to drinking water in November 2024 are once again cut off. “It’s really vital for thousands of families and children to restore this connection,” she said.
UN agencies estimate that 1.8 million people – over half of them children – urgently need water, sanitation and hygiene assistance.
Amnesty International calls “Israel’s decision to cut off electricity supply to Gaza desalination plant cruel and unlawful”
