UN relief agency suspends water sources in central, southern Gaza

Gaza, Nov 17

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has announced the suspension of dozens of drinking water and sewage facilities in the central and southern Gaza Strip due to fuel depletion.

Thomas White, UNRWA's operations director in Gaza, said on Thursday in a post on social media platform X that 76 water wells in the three southern provinces of the Strip, along with two main drinking water stations and 15 sewage pumping stations, have stopped functioning due to fuel shortages.

Sewage was flowing on roads and streets of Rafah city as sewage pumps were out of service due to the depletion of fuel, he said, adding drinking water scarcity could also potentially lead to a 40 per cent increase in diarrheal and infectious diseases among displaced people in UNRWA shelters, Xinhua news agency reported.

Gaza has been under nearly a complete Israeli siege since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, with the suspended inflow of essential goods and fuel plunging locals into a humanitarian crisis.