The United Nations on Tuesday said supplies in the south of the Gaza Strip had stopped due to a lack of fuel.
“Due to lack of fuel, public sewage pumping stations, 60 water wells in the south, the two main desalination plants in Rafah and the Middle Area, the two main sewage pumps in the south, and the Rafah wastewater treatment plant have all ceased operations.’’
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported citing the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“Coupled with the shutdown of municipal sanitation work, this is posing a serious threat to public health, increasing the risk of water contamination and the outbreak of diseases.”
The relief organisation does not know how it will be able to maintain its humanitarian support for hundreds of thousands of people in the second half of the week. The last fuel supplies had practically been used up.
This, has also jeopardises the distribution of relief supplies coming from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.
Almost 1.6 million of the approximately 2.3 million inhabitants of the sealed-off Gaza Strip have been displaced since the start of the Israeli attacks on October 7.
According to the report, around half of the internally displaced people are staying in UNRWA facilities and have so far been provided with basic necessities there.