The collapse of essential water and sanitation services in Gaza is creating a dire humanitarian crisis. With sewage flowing in the streets, finding clean, drinkable water has become close to impossible for the 2.3 million residents. In Khan Younis, father Osama Saqr attempted to provide water for his children, but the saltiness of the fluid and the lack of medical care for his one-year-old son’s diarrhoea left him feeling hopeless. The World Health Organization has reported thousands of cases of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections, with overcrowding, poor sanitation, and open-air defecation contributing to the spread of diseases.
The destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure and restrictions on fuel entering the Gaza Strip from Israeli authorities have left many without access to clean water and basic medical care. The lack of water has put the lives of patients with kidney failure at risk, and the UNRWA has warned of the increasing outbreak of diseases like cholera if urgent humanitarian aid is not delivered.
The desperation for clean water has led some to drink seawater, despite the risks posed by the discharged wastewater into the Mediterranean Sea. The situation has sparked questions about the rights of citizens to essential necessities and has left many, especially children, suffering in the ongoing war. The dire need for aid and the paralysing impact of fuel restrictions have left Gaza’s residents in a perilous state of deprivation and illness.