ISRAEL uses water as a weapon of war as Gaza supplies drop by 94%. British non-profit organisation Oxfam, which focuses on development, disaster management and advocacy, says the move is causing a deadly health disaster.
Israel has damaged or destroyed five water and sanitation facilities every three days since the start of its invasion. A new Oxfam report reveals that Israel is systematically using water as a weapon once morest Palestinians in Gaza, demonstrating a disregard for human life and international law.
The report, titled Water War Crimes, found that Israel’s cuts to water supplies, systematic destruction of water facilities and deliberate obstruction of aid had reduced the amount of water available in Gaza by 94%, or to 4.74 litres per person per day.
This is just under a third of the minimum recommended in an emergency and less than one flush of a toilet.
Oxfam’s analysis also found that Israeli military strikes have damaged or destroyed five water and sanitation infrastructure sites every three days since the start of the war. The destruction of water and electricity infrastructure and restrictions on the entry of spare parts and fuel, with only a fifth of the required amount allowed in on average, have led to an 84% drop in water production in Gaza.
“External supply from Israel’s national water company, Mekorot, has dropped by 78%. Israel has destroyed 70% of all sewage pumps and 100% of all wastewater treatment plants, as well as the main water quality testing laboratory in Gaza, and restricted the entry of Oxfam’s water testing equipment,” the agency said in an official statement, as reported on the website. Oxfam.org, Friday (19/7).
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Gaza City has lost almost all of its water production capacity, with 88% of water wells and 100% of desalination plants damaged or destroyed. The report also highlights the devastating impact of the lack of clean water and sanitation on the health of Palestinians, with more than a quarter (26%) of Gaza residents falling seriously ill from easily preventable diseases.
In January, the International Court of Justice demanded that Israel immediately increase humanitarian access in the face of possible genocide in Gaza. Since then, Oxfam has witnessed firsthand Israel’s obstruction of a meaningful humanitarian response, killing Palestinian civilians.
“We have seen Israel use collective punishment and starvation as weapons of war. Now we are witnessing Israel weaponizing water, which is already having deadly consequences,” said Lama Abdul Samad, Oxfam’s Water and Sanitation Specialist in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.
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He said it was clear that Israel had created a devastating humanitarian emergency that was resulting in the deaths of Palestinian civilians. “We have seen Israel use collective punishment and starvation as weapons of war. Now we are witnessing Israel using water as a weapon, which is already having deadly consequences.
“However, the deliberate restriction of water access is not a new tactic. The Israeli government has been depriving Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza of safe and sufficient water for years,” he said.
He noted the widespread destruction and significant restrictions on aid delivery in Gaza that have impacted access to water and other basic survival needs. He also underlined the urgent need for the international community to take decisive action to prevent further suffering by upholding justice and human rights, including those enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and the Genocide Convention.
Also read: Death toll in Gaza estimated to reach 186,000
The General Manager of the Gaza Strip Water Company CMWU, Monther Shoblak, said that his company has been going through a nightmare for the past nine months. He is working to ensure that everyone in Gaza gets their minimum right to clean drinking water.
“It is very difficult, but we are determined to keep trying, even when we witness our colleagues being targeted and killed by Israel while doing their jobs,” he said.
Oxfam is calling for urgent action including an immediate and permanent ceasefire for Israel to allow a full and unfettered humanitarian response and for Israel to foot the bill for the reconstruction of water and sanitation infrastructure.
Oxfam’s analysis of WHO figures found that a lack of clean water and sanitation is causing 26% of Gaza’s population to fall ill with preventable diseases.(P-5)
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