Gaza is plunging deeper into a humanitarian catastrophe as aid convoys grow more dangerous to deliver and average water use per person per day hovers far below emergency standards. The average Gaza resident depends on only 3-5 litres of water per day. This is well below the United Nations’ recommended minimum of 15 litres for basic use, such as drinking, cooking, and cleaning. For comparison, Israel’s daily per capita consumption is around 247 litres per day.
As ever, prospects soon deteriorated early in the conflict. In violation of international humanitarian law, the Israeli military agency COGAT intentionally deprived all 2.3 million Gazans of water and electricity. Even with supplies only just starting to be replenished, the pipeline infrastructure that transports water across Gaza has been severely damaged from months of conflict. Currently, COGAT operates two pipelines supplying millions of litres of water into the region, but this remains insufficient to meet the dire needs of the population.
The crisis comes on the heels of 22 months of unstinting military bombardment. Even the UN Food Agency considers the current condition in Gaza to be a famine level situation. The region’s civil defense agency confirmed the grim news. An aid truck that overturned in the vicinity of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip killed 20 people. This event highlights the dangers that NGO workers and civilians continue to experience on the ground in a fraying security situation.
“Twenty people were killed and dozens injured around midnight last night in a truck carrying aid [that] overturned … while hundreds of civilians were waiting for aid,” – Mahmud Bassal
As aid continues to trickle into Gaza through trucks and coordinated humanitarian airdrops, drivers have voiced concerns over escalating dangers in their line of work. With Hamas’s departure, a power vacuum exists. This has led to violent gangs being free to act with impunity, further complicating the ability to deliver much-needed supplies.
“This often results in desperate crowds swarming the trucks,” – Hamas media office
In recent developments, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Israel and Arab nations are prepared to assist in food distribution and provide financial aid to Gaza. He refrained from saying whether he would support a return to military control of the territory by Israel. Neither did he really commit against it.
“I know that we are there now trying to get people fed,” – Donald Trump
“As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say. That’s going to be pretty much up to Israel.” – Donald Trump
Amid these tensions, Israel’s security cabinet has postponed a crucial meeting originally scheduled to discuss Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for the “full occupation” of Gaza. This delay comes at a time when violence is increasing. Fears that the worst is yet to come are growing.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), terrorist operations represent an existential threat to Israel and its people. The United Nations has stated that the war in Gaza has led to almost 2 million people suffering from extreme lack of essentials and increased vulnerability.
Humanitarian organizations are struggling to address the overwhelming needs of those impacted by this war. Yet, they still find themselves battling ongoing logistics and security hurdles. Aid workers are under life threatening risk as they try to maneuver through that war-torn and violent landscape of instability.