GAZA CITY, March 16 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Municipal authorities in Gaza warned on Sunday of a looming and severe water crisis that could lead to widespread thirst amid Israel’s continued closure of border crossings and threats to cut the water supply.
“The Mekorot water line supplies Gaza City with approximately 70 per cent of its daily water needs,” the Gaza Municipality said in a statement, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
“If the water supply from this line is cut off, it could lead to a major water shortage, threatening the lives of civilians and causing a deterioration in public health, with the potential spread of diseases,” it warned.
Mekorot, an Israeli water company, is one of the primary sources of water for the Gaza Strip. The company operates under complete Israeli control, making it a key leverage point in the ongoing blockade of Gaza.
Since the first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement ended in early March, Israel has once again closed all Gaza crossings and blocked the entry of humanitarian aid.
The closure and Israel’s cutting of electricity supply to Gaza have led to the shutdown of essential water and sewage treatment facilities, worsening the already dire humanitarian conditions in the territory.
Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to sever both electricity and water supplies to Gaza as a method of exerting pressure on the Palestinian group Hamas.
On March 4, Omer Dostri, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that cutting water and electricity to Gaza was not out of the question, describing it as a potential pressure tactic.
The Gaza Municipality said that the continued prevention of fuel and energy supplies necessary to operate critical facilities would result in a significant shutdown of water and sanitation services.
It called for increased pressure on the Israeli occupation “to respect international laws and agreements, and to ensure the uninterrupted supply of water and energy sources.”
The ceasefire agreement, which took hold in January, halted Israel’s brutal military campaign on Gaza, which has killed more than 48,500 people, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
