B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم@btselem
With temperatures already reaching 34°C this week, residents of the Gaza Strip are facing extreme heat with no regular access to water. Over two and a half years of genocidal assault, the Israeli military has systematically destroyed more than 84% of the Strip’s water and sanitation infrastructure, leading to the total collapse of basic living systems.
Even now, seven months after the “ceasefire” agreement came into effect, Israel continues to block the entry of essential equipment needed for reconstruction. The military is preventing the entry of filtration systems, tanks and construction materials required to operate these systems, thereby preventing any possibility of restoring healthcare and water systems for millions of people.
In the displacement camps, the reality is unbearable. Families are forced to live alongside flowing sewage and piles of garbage accumulating between the tents. Due to the severe shortage, displaced people are routinely forced to use contaminated, undrinkable water. Many report having to forgo bathing or cooking to save the little clean water they have for drinking.
The deadly combination of heat, pollution and lack of basic hygiene conditions is leading to the spread of severe skin and intestinal diseases. The few remaining water sources become contaminated more quickly in high temperatures, causing dehydration and acute diarrhea, especially among children. Experts estimate that the combined damage to infrastructure led to thousands of indirect deaths already in the first year of the assault.
By continuing to block humanitarian aid and deliberately destroy life-sustaining infrastructure, Israel is perpetuating conditions in Gaza that are unfit for human habitation.
The genocide in the Gaza Strip continues.
