The Palestinian enclave of Gaza is "running out of water," and as a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a dire public health warning about an impending public health disaster.
The UN agency said that the lives of over 3,500 patients in 35 hospitals in Gaza were in imminent danger and demanded unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to the enclave.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that Israeli authorities had assured him that they had restored water service to southern Gaza. Hamas's official spokesman shot down Israel's assertions, stating that residents of Gaza were "drinking unhealthy water," which constituted "a serious health crisis endangering the lives of citizens."
Director of Save the Children in Palestine Jason Lee told the BBC earlier today that the organisation had received indications that water was flowing again in some areas of southern Gaza, albeit without the fuel or electricity to pump it. It will be kept from the general population.
As Sunday evening drew to a close, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned that Gaza was "choking," adding that "not a single drop of water" had been allowed into the Gaza Strip in over a week.
According to Philip Lazzarini, "Gaza is being suffocated and it seems that the world has lost its humanity at the present time." There is no life in Gaza due to the absence of water, and this is evident when we consider the fact that, as everyone knows, water is essential to sustain human existence.
