DaysofPal- A United Nations expert has warned that the Gaza Strip is facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe due to the collapse of its water infrastructure, saying that the Israeli occupation is using water deprivation as a tool of warfare.
Pedro Arrojo Agudo, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, said in an interview that the crisis has moved beyond scarcity to the near-total absence of safe drinking water.
Agudo stated that approximately 90 percent of Gaza’s desalination and water treatment facilities have been destroyed or directly damaged during the war, leaving most residents without reliable access to potable water.
He added that months after a ceasefire took effect, water supplies have not been restored to adequate levels, while severe restrictions on international agencies and aid organizations continue to hamper emergency relief efforts.
According to the expert, wells and water reservoirs have also been destroyed, and the remaining functioning facilities can serve only a small fraction of the population.
Agudo said that the average person in Gaza now has access to no more than 10 percent of the drinking water available before the war. He warned that damaged sanitation systems have led to the spread of contaminated water, posing serious health risks, particularly to children and the elderly.
“The problem is not just water shortage but the lack of safe drinking water,” he said, cautioning that disease outbreaks are increasingly likely under current conditions.
The U.N. expert described the situation as a systematic use of water deprivation against civilians, which he said is prohibited under international humanitarian law.
He noted that major human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Oxfam, have issued similar assessments accusing Israel of weaponizing water supplies in Gaza.
Agudo also participated, alongside other U.N. officials, in preparing a reconstruction report that found roughly 92 percent of Gaza’s infrastructure requires rebuilding, including water and sanitation systems, a level of destruction he said exceeds that seen in many other recent conflicts.
The rapporteur urged the immediate implementation of humanitarian agreements to allow aid, essential services, and reconstruction materials into Gaza through all crossings, particularly the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
He also called for the full restoration of desalination and treatment plants and guaranteed that such facilities would not be targeted again.
Restoring access to safe drinking water, Agudo emphasized, is the first and most critical step toward rebuilding life and dignity for Gaza’s population after months of hardship.
The Israeli occupation has previously said it targets militant infrastructure and disputes allegations that it deliberately attacks civilian water systems.
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