UN Special Reporter Says 2.1 Million Gazans Experience Severe Water Crisis

JAKARTA - UN Special Reporter for Human Rights in the Gaza Strip Pedro Agudo announced that around 2.1 million people in the region were experiencing a severe water crisis while recording nearly 70 percent of the water infrastructure in the Palestinian enclave was destroyed by Israeli military operations.

In a press statement on Wednesday, Agudo explained, the occupation force has systematically destroyed water infrastructure and prevented access to clean water sources in Gaza, describing it as a "quiet but deadly bomb", as reported by WAFA May 7.

Agudo said most of the population of the Gaza Strip only had access to very limited amounts of water, or received contaminated water that poses a serious threat to their health.

The Special Reporter noted that the Israeli blockade, which has been in place since October 2023, has affected food, water, electricity and other staple commodities, underscoring that the crisis has become out of control after Israel cut off access to the fuel needed to operate a water and well refining plant.

He stressed that the destruction of the water system intentionally meant using water as a weapon in the war in Gaza, while noting that Israel's attack on water infrastructure in Gaza had reduced daily water supply per capita to just 5 liters, which was "insufficient for normal life."