Israel mulls supplying power to Gaza desalination plant in effort to increase drinkable water

Israeli security officials say Jerusalem is considering a plan to supply electricity to a water desalination plant in the Gaza Strip that could help it increase production of drinkable water.

The officials say the desalination plan in the southern city of Khan Younis is not operating at full capacity because of energy shortages. Under the plan, an Israeli power line connected to the plant would help ramp up production. The plan would provide clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and the coastal area of al-Mawasi, where a tent camp houses tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

The officials say the plan has been formulated by technical experts, but still needs government approval. They have spoken on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss the plan with the media before it is approved.

With water infrastructure having been damaged repeatedly in the fighting, many Palestinians in Gaza have struggled to find clean drinking water or have been forced to walk long distances to access any.

The lack of clean water is also blamed for the spread of disease in the coastal territory, as many people have taken to drinking contaminated water.