Pedro Araujo-Agudo, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to adequate drinking water and sanitation, said that Israel's destruction of water infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and its denial of access to clean water is a "silent but deadly bomb."

In a statement, Agudo explained that 2.1 million people in Gaza are facing a water crisis, and that approximately 70 percent of the region's water infrastructure has been destroyed by Israel.

He stressed that "the vast majority of the population in the Gaza Strip either only receives very limited amounts of water, or the water they do receive is dangerously polluted."

He added that the Israeli blockade imposed since October 2023 has included food, water, electricity, and other basic commodities.

He pointed out that the crisis spiraled out of control after Israel cut off access to fuel needed to operate water purification plants and wells.

He stressed that the deliberate destruction of water systems means using water as a weapon in the war on Gaza.

He continued, "Water is being used as a weapon, but not against an army or a militia, but against civilians. Cutting off people's drinking water is like dropping a silent bomb on them. And this bomb is silent, but it is deadly."

He pointed out that Israeli attacks on Gaza's water infrastructure have reduced the per capita daily water supply to just 5 liters, which is "insufficient for normal life."

Citing UNICEF data, Agudo said that diarrhea cases among children under five increased from 40,000 to more than 70,000 during the first week of December 2024.

With full American support, Israel has been committing genocidal crimes in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 171,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.