From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 16, 2023
Gaza water shortage could spread disease, UN agency warns
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Lack of water in the Gaza Strip under Israel blockade is driving people to drink from contaminated sources and could lead to the spread of diseases, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warns.
“There continues to be no water for the vast majority of the population in Gaza,” UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma told reporters in New York in a video conference from Amman.
The World Health Organization earlier said that water, fuel and electricity would run out within 24 hours, warning that Israel had intensified the blockade on the enclave after the deadly attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7.
“We’re talking about two million people in the Gaza Strip who do not have water and water is running out and water is life. Life is running out of Gaza,” said Touma.
“We are very concerned about the spread of waterborne diseases if water continues not to be available in Gaza because we do know that people are resorting to dirty water sources, including wells,” she says.
Touma says that the fear was being felt among UNRWA’s own workers in the Gaza Strip.
“We feel that the levels of desperation and frustration and exhaustion among our staff specifically increases by the hour,” she said.
The Times of Israel Community.