UN rapporteur: Israel uses water as a weapon of war in Gaza
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Pedro Arrojo Agodo, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Drinking Water, said that the Gaza Strip is facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the widespread destruction of water infrastructure, accusing the Israeli army of using water as a weapon in war, in clear violation of international law. Humanitarian.
Agodo added – in an interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher – that about 90% of the desalination and water purification plants in Gaza were destroyed or directly attacked during the war, stressing that – 4 months after the ceasefire – the supply of water to the Strip was not resumed in a way.
Enough, and the severe shortage of drinking water remains. He added that international institutions and non-governmental organizations are facing severe narrowing that prevents them from providing minimum water and food for the population, in light of the destruction of wells and water tanks, noting that what remains is enough for only a few thousand residents.
Regarding the per capita share of potable water, the UN rapporteur confirmed that the current available does not exceed 10% of what was available before the war. age. Agodo stressed that the problem is not only with the lack of water, but the lack of potable water, and warned against the spread of diseases, describing what is happening as a form of ethnic cleansing and the systematic use of water as a tool of war against Palestinian civilians.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to drinking water confirmed that it was in accordance with the reports of human rights organizations – such as Human Rights Watch and Oxfam – that Israel used water as a weapon of war in Gaza, explaining that this behavior is prohibited by international humanitarian law. He noted that, in addition to the Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Affairs, he participated in preparing a report on the reconstruction of Gaza, and the report concluded that 92% of the facilities and infrastructure in the Strip need to be reconstructed, including water and disinfection facilities. It was witnessed by other conflicts.
