UNICEF says deal agreed with Israel to boost Gaza water supply

A million displaced Palestinians may receive much-needed water if Israel agrees to restart power at a crucial desalination plant in southern Gaza, according to a statement released by the UN Children’s Fund on Thursday.

According to Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF’s spokesman in the Palestinian territories, “UNICEF confirms an agreement was reached to re-establish the medium voltage feeder power line for the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant.”

Since the conflict began almost nine months ago, water has grown limited for the 2.4 million people who live in the Palestinian area.

Data from UN agencies shows that more than two thirds of Gaza’s water and sanitation facilities have been destroyed or severely damaged, and since Israel placed a harsh embargo on the area, only a sporadic supply of bottled water has been permitted in.

Once electricity is restored to the Khan Yunis plant, Crickx added, it should be able to generate enough water to “meet what humanitarian standards define as a minimum intake of 15 litres per day of drinking water per person, for nearly a million displaced people” in western Gaza.

“This is an important milestone, and we are very much looking forward to seeing it implemented.”

Israel’s coordinator for civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, known as COGAT, did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

The plant should be able to produce 15,000 cubic metres, or 15 million litres, of water per day at full capacity, according to UNICEF.

After Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced that he was imposing “a complete siege” on Gaza with “no electricity, no water, no gas”.

Since then, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated considerably, according to aid groups working in Gaza.

In addition, Crickx stated that “generators and infrastructure to be delivered” were vital in order to mitigate the damage caused to the war-torn region, noting that since October, more than 60% of its water distribution systems have sustained damage.

Based on Israeli official data, an AFP tally shows that 1,195 people, largely civilians, were killed in Hamas’s onslaught on southern Israel, which ignited the Gaza conflict.

The health ministry in the zone controlled by Hamas has supplied figures indicating that at least 37,765 individuals, primarily civilians, have died as a result of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.