The UN agency revealed in a statement issued on Saturday that humanitarian supplies to Gaza had not been allowed to enter for a week.
The statement indicated that people are now forced to use unclean water from wells, which increases the risk of the spread of transmitted diseases, especially with the electricity outage, which has contributed to the shortage of water supplies.
UNRWA indicated that the United Nations base in the southern Gaza Strip, to which UNRWA transferred its operations, and where thousands of Palestinians are currently taking shelter after Israel’s warnings to leave the northern areas, is suffering from a water shortage.
“In just the past 12 hours, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced,” the statement added. The statement continued, “The wave of displacement continues as people move to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and the number of displaced persons within a week has reached nearly one million people.”
The Commissioner-General of UNRWA stressed the need to bring fuel trucks into Gaza as quickly as possible because not bringing them in means not providing drinking water. He added, “Without that, people will die from severe drought, including young children, the elderly, and women.”
UNRWA called on the Israeli authorities to protect all civilians sheltering in its facilities throughout the Gaza Strip, including those in the northern Strip and Gaza City.
UNRWA stated that wars have rules, and that civilians, hospitals, schools, clinics and United Nations facilities cannot be targeted.
She stressed that she is sparing no effort in calling on the parties to the conflict to fulfill their obligations under international law to protect civilians, including those seeking safety in UNRWA shelters.
The UN agency said that its shelters in Gaza and the northern Gaza Strip are no longer safe, which is unprecedented.
#UNRWA #warns #Water #shortage #Gaza #matter #life #death