The NGO regrets that these actions have “deadly consequences” and stresses that this Israeli policy “is not a new tactic.”
Jul 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The NGO Oxfam Intermón on Thursday denounced Israel’s use of water as a weapon of war and said that Israeli authorities have reduced the water supply to the Gaza Strip by 94 percent after launching an offensive against the enclave following the attacks carried out on October 7 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian factions.
The report, ‘Water War Crimes’, concludes that Israel’s tactics of supply cuts, systematic destruction of facilities and deliberate blocking of aid have reduced the amount of water reaching Gaza by 94 percent, to 4.74 liters per person per day – just under a third of the minimum recommended amount in emergency situations and less than a toilet flush.
Israeli strikes have damaged or destroyed five water and sanitation infrastructure facilities in Gaza every three days since the start of the offensive, it said, while this destruction and restrictions on the entry of spare parts and fuel have led to an 84 percent decrease in water production in the enclave.
The NGO notes that external supplies from Israel’s national water company, Mekorot, have been cut by 78 percent, while Israel has destroyed 70 percent of sewage pumps and all sewage treatment plants, as well as the main water quality analysis laboratories in Gaza.
This, combined with the destruction or damage to 88 percent of water wells and 100 percent of desalination plants in the city of Gaza (north), has caused the city to lose almost all of its water production capacity, which impacts the spread of diseases in the enclave.
Lama Abdul Samad, a water and sanitation specialist at Oxfam Intermón, said that this situation is causing many deaths, despite the fact that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) called on Israel in January to immediately improve humanitarian access in view of the risk of genocide in the Gaza Strip.
“We have already seen Israel use collective punishment and starvation as a weapon of war,” Abdul Samad said. “Now we see it doing the same with water, and deadly consequences are already occurring.”
In this regard, he stressed that “the deliberate restriction of access to water is not a new tactic” and stated that “the Government of Israel has been depriving the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza of drinking water and in sufficient quantities for many years.”
“Widespread destruction and significant restrictions on aid delivery in Gaza are impacting access to water and other essentials for survival, highlighting the need for the international community to take urgent, decisive action to prevent further suffering by appealing to justice and human rights, including those enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention,” Abdul Samad said.
In this regard, Monzer Shoblak, director general of the water service for Gaza belonging to the Water Service of Coastal Municipalities, has spoken of “a nightmare during the last nine months” due to the Israeli offensive, which has also left nearly 38,800 dead, according to the latest report from the Gazan authorities, controlled by Hamas.
“We continue to believe that it is our responsibility and our obligation to ensure that all people in Gaza receive the minimum amount of clean drinking water to which they are entitled,” Shoblak said. “It has been very difficult, but we are determined to keep trying, even after seeing Israel attack and kill our colleagues while they are doing their job.”
Oxfam Intermón has therefore issued an urgent call for measures to be implemented to put an end to this situation, including an immediate and permanent ceasefire, before calling on Israel to end its obstacles and allow an unrestricted humanitarian response, as well as paying for the reconstruction of water and sanitation infrastructure.
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