The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday that severe water shortages in the Gaza Strip have reached critical levels, with nine out of 10 people not able to access clean drinking water.
Rosalia Boren, a UNICEF official in Gaza, said 600,000 people who regained access to drinking water in November 2024 have been cut off again.
“It’s really important for thousands of families and children to restore this connection,” she said.
The United Nations agency estimates that 1.8 million children need water, sanitation and hygiene assistance in an urgent need.
The UN says the situation has gotten worse following Sunday’s decision to cut Israel’s power over the enclave and disrupt essential desalination operations.
For her, Franceca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation on Palestinian territory, condemned Israel’s decision to describe it as a genocide warning.
“Genocide alert! Israel shuts down its power supply to Gaza means, among other things, a functioning desalination station, Ergo: no clean water,” Albanese wrote to X.
On Sunday, Israeli Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen decided to immediately halt electricity supply to the Gaza Strip.