UN says Gaza city water supply disrupted amid Israeli restrictions

(MENAFN) The United Nations reported Wednesday that roughly 70% of Gaza City’s water production is currently disrupted because Israel is preventing the entry of a key repair material labeled as “dual-use.”

UN spokesperson Farhan Haq, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), explained at a press briefing that the disruption stems from difficulties repairing the Mekorot water supply line, which runs from Israel into Gaza and passes east of the so-called “Yellow Line,” an area where Israeli forces remain deployed.

Haq added that the damaged pipeline requires a specific section of steel pipe unavailable in Gaza and prohibited from entry due to its dual-use designation. He also noted that Israel recently denied a request to repair a well considered one of the enclave’s most important water sources.

To address the shortage, UN partners are exploring alternative water sources and increasing water trucking to maintain access to safe water. OCHA stressed the urgent need for broader access to critical items classified as dual-use, warning that basic services such as potable water cannot be restored without them.

Haq highlighted the mounting humanitarian risk as winter continues, reporting that another child death from hypothermia occurred yesterday, bringing the total cold-related fatalities this season to nine, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

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