Thursday 26 / June / 2025
New York: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned of the dire state of thirst threatening Palestinians in the Gaza Strip with death, amid the collapse of water supply systems due to Israeli bombing of infrastructure and the ban on fuel imports since last March 2025.
The UN agency said in a statement that Palestinian families across Gaza are at risk of dying of thirst amid the collapse of water supply systems.
The agency noted that only 40 percent of drinking water production facilities are still operating, and that “Gaza is on the edge of a man-made drought”.
UNRWA said that its capacity to provide water has declined to half the quantities it provided during the truce period, due to the ongoing Israeli bombing, forced displacement orders, and the occupation authorities' ban on the entry of fuel into the Strip for more than 100 days.
"Extracting water from well stopped due to fuel shortages, others located in dangerous areas that are difficult to access, pipelines are broken and leaking, and water tankers that often do not arrive," UNRWA said.
The agency called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
