Desperate Gazans Struggle with Water Shortage

APP

New York: Amid new evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military in Gaza, UN humanitarian officials have issued a fresh warning regarding the severe sanitary emergency in the region and the urgent need for a mass polio vaccination campaign. This crisis has been exacerbated by ongoing Israeli attacks.

UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund, reported from Deir al-Balah in Gaza’s central region, where untreated sewage run-off has created large pools on roads next to shelters for forcibly displaced people.

“Sewage water is all over the streets,” said UNICEF spokesperson Salim Oweis, who highlighted the extensive damage to Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure, including its sewage treatment plants, since October 7.

Diarrhea and skin rashes continue to affect Gazans who have been repeatedly displaced from their homes and shelters. UNICEF is urgently calling for a ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of oral polio vaccines, as traces of the disease were found in sewage water in June and confirmed in July. To date, no vaccinations have been administered in the enclave.

The situation worsened as the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of parts of Khan Younis on Sunday, citing “significant terrorist activity and exploitation” of its self-designated “humanitarian zone,” including rocket fire from the Aljalaa area.

UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, highlighted the impact of multiple evacuation orders issued since last Thursday on Gaza’s most vulnerable individuals in Khan Younis. Approximately 75,000 people have been displaced.

“There was one elderly man desperately trying to push his mobility scooter, which kept getting stuck in the sand,” said Louise Wateridge, UNRWA senior communications officer. “He had very few belongings on the scooter and was assisted by young men who helped him dig it out of the sand. The exhaustion and struggle were evident.”

More than 10 months into the conflict, Gazans continue to face severe shortages of clean water, food, and medical aid, while enduring dangerously high temperatures. “These people have lost absolutely everything,” Wateridge noted. “Children were dragging empty water canisters, which have become one of their most valuable possessions. Families are carrying only what they can hold in their hands—mattresses, jerry cans, and empty water containers.”

Wateridge also explained that families are seeking shelter in overcrowded areas of Deir al-Balah and western Khan Younis, which have very limited facilities and are struggling to accommodate the influx of displaced people.