Ramallah, occupied West Bank – Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip are facing a “real catastrophe”, United Nations officials warn, as Israel’s heaviest bombardment of the occupied enclave rages on for the 11th consecutive day.
In a report on Tuesday, the UN said the Israeli army continued pounding southern areas despite previously telling residents to move south ahead of a looming offensive by land, air and sea on the tiny coastal strip of land.
It also stressed that “water remains a key issue as people will start dying without water”, a warning that came hours after the World Health Organization said there are only “24 hours of water, electricity and fuel left” in Gaza.
Residents of the besieged Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, have already been severely struggling with little to no water to drink, shower or do laundry. They are also facing grave shortages of basic supplies including baby formula and flour, with all supermarkets out of stock.
“Concerns over dehydration and waterborne diseases are high given the collapse of water and sanitation services, including today’s shutdown of Gaza’s last functioning seawater desalination plant,” the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said in Tuesday’s report. “Fuel reserves at all hospitals across Gaza are expected to last for an additional 24 hours only. The shutdown of backup generators would place the lives of thousands of patients at serious risk.”
More than 2,800 people, including at least 1,000 children, have been killed in Israel’s bombing campaign since October 7, according to Palestinian officials. Some 10,000 others have been wounded, with many remaining buried under the rubble.
Source from www.aljazeera.com rnrn