Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

[SvennoJ]

The situation in Gaza is now ‘absolutely catastrophic’: OCHA

Olga Cherevko, a staff member with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), spoke to Al Jazeera from Deir el-Balah.

Here is a summary of what she said:

• More than 400,000 people have now been displaced in just over three weeks.
• A “massive shortage of water” and water facilities have been damaged and destroyed, leading to “absolutely appalling” hygiene conditions.
• The destruction is so vast that OCHA has been unable to repair all facilities, and some water wells are currently within the areas that are under evacuation orders.
• OCHA has had to rely on water trucking and has set up water points across the Gaza Strip.
• A lack of water has contributed to the spread of skin rashes and public health issues, including fleas, mites and lice.
• “Absolutely zero supplies have come in in over 40 days”, which means OCHA  is “running out of everything, including critical medical and trauma supplies.”

_{Palestinians in the Nuseirat region, who are struggling with hunger due to Israeli attacks on Gaza and the closed borders, wait to receive hot meals distributed by charitable organisations in Deir el-Balah, Gaza, on April 12}


Medicine stocks in Gaza hospitals ‘dangerous, unprecedented’

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said hospitals and medics are experiencing a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies, which have not been replenished for some 40 days due to Israel’s complete blockade of the Strip.

Israel has destroyed 34 of the 38 hospitals in the Gaza Strip so far, leaving only four hospitals operating at limited capacity despite their severe damage, according to the latest statistics from the Government Media Office.


Gaza City official: Israel prevents water pipeline repair

A spokesperson for the Gaza City municipality says Israel’s continued disruption of the Mekorot pipeline is exacerbating the Strip’s water crisis.

The military halted the flow of water from Israeli company Mekorot to the Gaza Strip in early April, cutting off 70 percent of the Palestinian enclave’s water supply.

The spokesperson said Israeli forces are denying access to repair crews seeking to fix damaged water infrastructure, and that repairs could be made, bringing desperately needed water to parts of the city, in only 24 hours.

Gaza media office says Israel has turned water into ‘tool of genocide’

The office says that Israel “deliberately disrupted the two Mekorot water pipelines east of Gaza City and in the central governorate, and also shut down the electricity line supplying the desalination plant in the Deir el-Balah area, leading to a complete halt in the production of desalinated water”.

These claims are supported by recent information provided by the UN, which decried the shutdown of the desalination plant. Here are some more key points in the Gaza Government Media Office statement:

• The occupation has destroyed more than 90 percent of the water and sanitation infrastructure, prevented technical crews from reaching Gaza to repair damaged infrastructure, and targeted workers while carrying out their humanitarian duties.
• We have recorded more than 1.7 million cases of water-related illness, in addition to the deaths of more than 50 Palestinians, the majority of whom were children, due to dehydration and malnutrition.
• We urgently appeal to the international community and United Nations agencies to take immediate and effective action to stop the crime of deprivation of water.