More than a million people in the central Gaza Strip are experiencing a worsening water crisis, compounded by food shortages, and are facing an Israeli policy of deprivation after bombing put many wells out of service.

The Israeli occupation army surprised the residents of Deir al-Balah and parts of Khan Yunis with a new evacuation decision last Saturday morning, but this time the decision included areas to which more than 200,000 Palestinians were displaced, who focus on residing near water stations and wells that enable them to withstand displacement.

The Deir al-Balah municipality, which operates with limited capacity due to a shortage of equipment and fuel, announced that a large number of water wells have gone out of service as a result of the evacuation of the eastern area and areas close to the city center, including the Qastal wells near the Qastal towers, wells in the areas of al-Maani, al-Muntazah, al-Sina’iyah, and al-Mazra’ah, and wells on the coast No. 4 and 5, and well 21K, in addition to the al-Baraka tank and the Qastal tank.

The Al-Baraka reservoir is on the border of the evacuation area, as the municipality explained, which forced it to close the well so that people would not gather near it and be exposed to shelling or targeting, and thus the western area of the city would lose its sources of water supply. Also, a number of these wells operate by supplying the World Food Program or UNRWA and other organizations with fuel that enters through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The head of the emergency committee in the Deir al-Balah municipality, Ismail Sarsour, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, “The recent Israeli evacuation orders have caused ten out of 19 wells to be taken out of service, and access to three wells has become dangerous. The three wells are located west of Salah al-Din Street in an area that was classified as safe and was among the main sources of water supply to the southern governorates. As a result, only six wells are now operating, with limited capacity.”

The residents of the Gaza Strip depend on more than 700 wells for water management.

Sarsour added: “Transporting water from these wells used to feed the cities of Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, and about one million displaced people, distributed across about 200 shelters in Deir al-Balah, are now without water sources. The region is the most densely populated in the world compared to its small area of no more than 14,000 square kilometers. After the decision to evacuate the eastern regions, the area of the so-called safe zone has become no more than 9,000 square kilometers.”

He continued: “The occupation has damaged the water wells, knowing full well that they are the only means of feeding the people in the area surrounding Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and the areas in the center of Deir al-Balah. The wells that were taken out of service were producing millions of liters daily, and supplying the residents of the area and the displaced, as well as the hospital and the rest of the service centers with water. The occupation had previously destroyed seven wells in Deir al-Balah through direct shelling, and in doing so it is deliberately cramming hundreds of thousands into a narrow area by destroying all the necessities of life, most importantly water sources. There is a frightening overcrowding of the displaced, and this produces diseases and spreads epidemics, and the risks are exacerbated in light of the water shortage.”

The residents of the Gaza Strip depend on more than 700 wells spread across the five governorates of the Strip for their water supply. The occupation directly destroyed about 200 of them, and caused severe damage to about 200 other wells. A number of other wells cannot be accessed because they are located within the areas that were decided to be evacuated. The fate of some wells is unknown, including those located in the buffer zone along the eastern border strip separating the Israeli occupation.

After the end of the military operation that lasted about two and a half months in the city of Khan Younis, last April, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) began receiving limited quantities of fuel to operate water wells in the southern governorate, and a limited quantity for the northern governorate. However, after the military operation in the city of Rafah, the residents of the Strip became at the mercy of the quantities of fuel that the occupation allows to be supplied to international organizations, part of which is allocated to operate the wells.

Environmental engineer Mohammed Abu Al-Ata works in the water distribution sector of Khan Younis Municipality. He specializes in supervising water stations under the emergency plan and communicating with international organizations. He says: “The occupation previously requested the evacuation of areas in Khan Younis city that include the three largest wells in the city. One of them supplies the Asdaa city area and the surrounding agricultural lands, the other is in the northwestern area, and the third supplies the eastern area, which had no less than 30 water wells. The occupation destroyed half of them with direct shelling.”

“The people of Gaza had very limited access to water in recent weeks, with quantities ranging from 3 to 6 liters per person per day. People had to wait for hours to get water, in addition to relying on some humanitarian aid, especially mineral water designated for pregnant women, patients, and children who need the additional nutrients that this water contains,” Abu al-Ata told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. “But after the recent evacuation, I expect the daily quantity to reach less than 3 liters per person.” He added: “The task of obtaining water in some areas is almost impossible due to the inability to access wells, in addition to overcrowding. This is currently the case in areas such as Al-Mawasi and areas west of Deir al-Balah city. The displaced were concentrated in Deir al-Balah city in the middle of the Strip because they believed that it would be the last refuge for displacement, after which the aggression would end. However, the occupation is deliberately pursuing the displaced in all areas. The problem is that international organizations focused their work on Khan Yunis city at the beginning of the aggression, then moved to Rafah city, and then returned to Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah. Now all areas are at risk, and it is not easy to transfer services. The work of institutions requires great components to organize services, such as water and health care.”

What increases the citizens’ concerns in Gaza is that they will need to stand in queues for longer periods to obtain water as more wells go out of service. After the recent evacuation decisions, some people now need two or three hours of walking to reach the distribution points, and in some areas the period reaches four hours in light of the presence of only three working wells in the western area of Deir al-Balah city.

On the first day after the evacuation orders, the displaced had to walk long distances to reach an area between Deir al-Balah and western Khan Yunis near the archaeological site known as “Tel al-Raqish,” but some of them got lost while trying to reach the water distribution area.

The repeated suffering of the displaced is exacerbated by the lack of water distribution points. When a displaced person moves from one area to another, his focus is on finding a new water distribution point, but these points are usually not enough to accommodate the needs of the new displaced people. Accordingly, some of them decide to look for alternatives, but they are often difficult, which increases the problems between those queuing and those in charge of distributing water.

Khaled Mousa carried a number of bottles of water to the semi-desert area where his family was displaced. During the return trip, he was so thirsty that he had to drink some of them. The next morning, he began searching for a new source of water. He told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “What is happening to us has become beyond our capacity, and many have begun to wish for death rather than continue living this way. Thirst is killing us under the scorching sun, and we are being displaced repeatedly on foot, as we do not have money to pay for any means of transportation. Being in a desert area and sleeping in the open is extremely dangerous, and every morning we search for a bottle of water to drink.”

Mohammed al-Maghribi was displaced to the central Gaza Strip after his home in Rafah was destroyed. Over the past few weeks, he has been moving between three areas within the new evacuation zones. He is constantly thirsty, and is only allowed to drink a small amount of water to provide the rest for his children. He told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: “After we used to provide water to the displaced in Rafah, we have become among the displaced who cannot find water. There are no wells, and I often look at the sea water and wish it was drinkable, then I remember that it is good that it is suitable for bathing.”

Source: Al-Araby Al-Jadeed