London, 18 October – Lack of access to water is one of the biggest challenges in the emergency situation in Gaza right now, with children most at risk from the health consequences of this. This is according to Action Against Hunger – the international charity predicting, preventing and treating life-threatening hunger.
Staff at the humanitarian agency have warned that overcrowded displacement shelters are close to breaking point, with the sheer number of people accessing these also facing inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure whilst there. One such shelter is currently supporting more than 24,000 people – with 60 per cent of children there affected by diarrhoea. People are also resorting to open defecation.
The UN estimates that there is less than three litres of water per person each day for the 2.3 million people living in Gaza, half of whom are children who are most at risk from water shortages and diarrhoeal infections – the leading cause of child mortality globally. Moreover, this amount is likely to decrease by the day as supplies and fuel used to make water drinkable in the desalination plants are reduced.
Chiara Saccardi, Officer for the Middle East at Action Against Hunger, said: “Faced with this impossible situation, many Gazan families are resorting to non-drinking water sources, such as agricultural wells. This puts them at imminent risk of dehydration and even an outbreak of infectious diseases such as cholera. Such an epidemic, if it happens, would make this serious crisis an even bigger problem.”
Gaza is still facing a blackout and has been without electricity for eight consecutive days, affecting basic services such as water, sanitation and access to food. Action Against Hunger is therefore looking to distribute basic short-term supplies such as water, food, hygiene products, nappies, blankets and mattresses. In the absence of a ceasefire and the continuing blockade, this is proving challenging.
“We are urgently calling for a ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to ensure that aid gets to where it is needed the most,” continues Chiara.
Action Against Hunger has been working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 2002, opening an office in Gaza in 2005.
Notes to editors
If you would like to arrange an interview with an Action Against Hunger spokesperson, please contact David on 0208 293 6130 or [email protected]
For more information, please visit Action Against Hunger UK’s website or follow Action Against Hunger UK on Twitter and Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok
Caption for photo:
A Palestinian youth reacts as he sits on the rubble of a destroyed home following an Israeli military strike on the Rafah refugee camp, in the southern of Gaza Strip on Octobers 15, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip, entered southern Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza on October 8.
Photo credit MOHAMMED ABED / AFP