Children in Gaza have 'barely a drop to drink,' UNICEF warns
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UNICEF warns in a new statement that the risk of waterborne diseases is "particularly heightened".
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Palestinian children displaced by the Israeli occupation's genocide in the Gaza Strip carry water in the makeshift tent camp in al-Mawasi area, occupied Palestine, on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (AP)
Children in the Gaza Strip have been receiving about 10% of the water they would typically require, thus leaving them with "barely a drop to drink," UNICEF warned in a statement.
This comes as CNN reported that "recently displaced children in the Southern Gaza Strip are accessing only 1.5 to 2 litres of water each day," stressing that normally 15 liters would be the minimum amount required for drinking, washing, and cooking, while sheer survival required a minimum of 3 liters.
As for UNICEF, its statement on Wednesday emphasized that water and sanitation services across the Strip have reached a "point of collapse," which prompted an alert as children will be the most impacted.
"The impact of this on children is particularly dramatic because children are also more susceptible to dehydration, diarrhea, disease and malnutrition, all of which can compound to present a threat to their survival," UNICEF warned, adding that "concerns of waterborne diseases such as cholera and chronic diarrhea are particularly heightened given the lack of safe water, especially following this week’s rains and flooding."
Earlier, yesterday, UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder, upon his return from the Palestinian territory, conveyed his dismay over the dire conditions in Gaza, calling it "the most dangerous place in the world" for a child.
"I'm furious that those with power shrug at the humanitarian nightmares unleashed on a million children," he told a press briefing after spending a fortnight in the embattled Strip.
He mentioned instances where children, having undergone amputations, faced further tragedy as they were "killed in those hospitals."
"I'm furious that there are more children hiding as we speak who will no doubt be hit and have amputations in the coming days," he said.
The Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis, which is currently the largest operational facility, had been subjected to shelling on two separate occasions in the last 48 hours, he said.
"Not only [this hospital] shelters large numbers of children who had already been badly injured in attacks on their homes, but hundreds of women and children seeking safety," he explained.
"I'm furious that Christmas is likely going to bring increased savagery and attacks as the world is distracted with its own love and goodwill," Elder said, lamenting the killing of children in Gaza who had become "statistics".
"I'm furious that hypocrisy is crushing empathy," he said, adding, "I'm furious at myself for not being able to do more."
Read more: UNICEF warns Gaza ‘most dangerous place in world to be a child’
