Gaza: destruction of water wells exacerbates humanitarian crisis
A child stands holding a water container as Palestinians gather to collect water amid shortages during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, July 29, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
Captioned with the text “in honour of Shabbat”, an Israeli soldier from the engineer corps is seen on video detonating a water reservoir in the Tel Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah, proving yet again that the IDF may be far from the “the most moral military in the world” that Benjamin Netanyahu claims it is.
Amidst a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, over 30 water wells in Gaza have been destroyed by Israeli forces this month, according to a municipality official’s statement to Reuters on July 30th.
The absence of vital facilities combined with constant airstrikes and the virulent spread of communicable diseases has aggravated the already dire situation that Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip.
Salama Shourab, who works as the head of the water network in Khan Younis municipality, stated that Israeli forces bombed the wells between July 18th and 27th in the southern town of Rafah and Khan Younis.
The Israeli military has not commented on accusations against its soldiers for destroying the wells.
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In a desperate attempt to find water, Palestinians have dug in areas near the sea or relied on salty tap water from Gaza’s only aquifer contaminated by sewage and recently found to contain poliovirus.
Makeshift water collection points are usually seen with queues of children who have walked miles to get there, waiting to fill their receptacles. Malnutrition has left the children barely able to carry the water back to their homes.
Oxfam’s latest report found that Gaza City has lost nearly all its water production capacity, with 88% of its water wells and 100% of desalination plants either damaged or destroyed.
Youssef El-Shenawy, a Gaza resident, told a reporter of his experience, “We stand in the sun, my eye hurts because of the sun, because we stand for long (hours) to (secure) water”.
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“This is our struggle with non-potable water, and then there is our struggle with drinking water, which we take another queue for, that’s if it is available.”
Fayez Abu Toh, like many Palestinians, pondered on why Israel has destroyed so much civilian infrastructure, which poses no threat to the military.
“Whoever has a bit of a sense of humanity has to look at these people, care for them and try to (impose) a ceasefire and end this war. We are fed up; we are all dead and tired. The people have nothing left,” he stated, waiting for water amidst the scorching heat.
“Does this well affect the strength of the (Israeli) Defence Force? This is a destruction of the infrastructure of the Palestinian people to further worsen the situation, and to pressure these people that have no one, but God.”
The death toll in Gaza as a result of Israel’s retaliatory offensive now reaches 39,445 with over 91,000 left injured according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Reuters and agencies
