Gaza, MINA – More than 700 Palestinians, most of them children, have been killed by Israeli army fire while collecting water since October 2023, local authorities in Gaza said on Monday.
“The Israeli occupation continues to wage a systematic and deliberate war of thirst against the Palestinian people in Gaza, in a flagrant violation of all international and humanitarian conventions,” Gaza’s government media office said in a statement, as cited by Anadolu Agency.
The office accused Israeli forces of using water as a weapon of war to deprive Palestinians of their most basic rights.
It reported that Israeli forces had carried out 112 attacks targeting Gazans collecting water, resulting in over 700 deaths, mostly among children, since October 2023.
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On Sunday alone, at least 12 people, including eight children, were killed by Israeli fire while waiting to collect water in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
The media office also revealed that more than 720 water wells had been deliberately destroyed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
“Attacks on water wells have deprived more than 1.25 million Palestinians of access to clean water,” it added.
According to the statement, Israel has blocked the entry of 12 million liters of fuel per month, the amount needed to operate essential infrastructure including water wells, sewage systems, and waste management facilities.
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“This has caused a complete paralysis in water and sewage networks and the spread of epidemics, especially among children,” it warned.
The office urged the international community and human rights organizations to take immediate action to stop Israel’s systematic use of water as a weapon and to allow the entry of fuel and equipment needed to restore water services and drainage stations.
Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza’s crossings since March 2, preventing the entry of food, medical, and humanitarian aid, further deepening the humanitarian catastrophe for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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