"The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating dramatically, worse today than it was yesterday. There are tens of thousands of residents lining up to get clean water that can no longer be found or potable water." This is what UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasnah told media in the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
Gaza warns of a shortage of potable water. Representatives working in Gaza on behalf of UNRWA say that most of the water desalination plants have been closed and that 70 percent of residents do not have clean water. According to Abu Hasna, "sewage spills into the streets in several areas of the Gaza Strip."
A spokesman for the UN agency also referred to the entry of diesel fuel into the Gaza Strip. "As for diesel, 23,<> liters entered the Gaza Strip on condition that they be used exclusively for the trucks, which means that we cannot transfer this fuel to any facility, including facilities connected to UNRWA for water desalination, as well as hospitals and bakeries," he said.
UNRWA spokesman in Gaza, photo: None
A fuel truck bearing a UN flag in Gaza, November 15, 2023, photo: AFP
IDF forces in the Gaza Strip, photo: IDF Spokesperson
UNRWA officials also announced that 76 wells and two drinking water facilities had stopped operating, in addition to the shutdown of 15 sewage pumping stations due to a shortage of diesel fuel used to operate them. The wells and stations in question are located in the southern areas of the Gaza Strip. "The diesel shortage means a shortage of drinking water and deficiencies in sewage and sanitation services," they explained.
Help from Arab countries
The UAE earlier announced its decision to build three water desalination stations in Rafah as part of humanitarian operations in support of the Palestinian people. The facilities will reportedly have enough capacity for about 300,<> people a day. This is in addition to a field hospital in the southern Gaza Strip whose establishment Abu Dhabi announced last week.
Palestinian sources told Israel Hayom earlier this week that ousted Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan, who has lived in Abu Dhabi for the past decade and is close to ruling circles there and Cairo, has influence and involvement in sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
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