Unicef: Water shortage in the Gaza Strip a matter of life and death
The water shortage in the Gaza Strip is taking on dramatic proportions, according to the UN children's aid organization Unicef. The danger of diseases spreading is growing dramatically every day, said Unicef spokesman James Elder.
He spoke to reporters in Geneva via video link from Cairo. There are already thousands of cases of chickenpox, diarrhea, respiratory and skin diseases, reported the World Health Organization (WHO). There are no cases of cholera, as the bacterium in question is not circulating in the Gaza Strip.
According to updated estimates by Unicef, around 700,000 people are still living in the north of the Gaza Strip, which Israel has been trying to evacuate for weeks. Many have only three liters of water a day, the minimum for drinking, washing and cooking is 15 liters.
Unicef and WHO are urgently calling for more fuel to operate desalination plants and water pumps and for wastewater treatment. Whether water and wastewater treatment is restored will determine "whether thousands or tens of thousands of children survive or die", said Elder. Unicef makes no distinction between children and adolescents. All minors are referred to as children. According to his figures, there are around 800,000 minors among the more than 1.7 million displaced persons.
Elder recalled that the devastating conditions in the Gaza Strip also include more than 30 children and adolescents who were kidnapped by terrorists from Israel on October 7.
- The human rights situation in the Gaza Strip is further exacerbated by the ongoing conflicts, with the severe water shortage being a major concern.
- The lack of water treatment facilities in the Gaza Strip due to conflicts and resource constraints has led to health issues, including the spread of diseases like diarrhea and respiratory infections.
- Addressing the water shortage and wastewater treatment in the Gaza Strip becomes a matter of human rights, as it directly impacts the health and survival of over 800,000 children living in the Middle East's Gaza Strip.
Source: www.dpa.com
