The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported a temporary improvement in the water supply in southern Gaza.
The office said, “With the help of UNICEF and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), small quantities of fuel they had retrieved from their existing reserves were delivered to key facilities.”
This fuel can serve as an alternative for operating water pumps since Israeli authorities continue to prohibit the supply of fuel, as reported by OCHA.
The Gaza Strip has faced a prolonged water scarcity issue, with daily delivery of drinking water typically carried out by trucks. However, these deliveries have been halted by Israel following the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on October 7.
“However, the available fuel in these facilities would be exhausted soon, and the supply of piped water is expected to cease again,” the OCHA report added.