UN warns Gaza faces water crisis, looming famine under Israeli siege
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UN warns 96% of Gaza families lack safe water and 1,373 killed seeking food as Israel’s war deepens famine and sanitation crisis.
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United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres gives a statement about the situation in Gaza at UN headquarters, Friday, June 27, 2025 (AP)
The United Nations has issued a stark warning over the worsening water crisis in Gaza, stating that the specter of famine continues to hang over a population increasingly deprived of access to safe water and sanitation.
In a new report, the UN said that 96% of families in Gaza face water insecurity, while 90% of the population lacks access to safe drinking water. It added that 75% of residents struggle to access toilets, compounding the humanitarian disaster amid the ongoing siege and months-long Israeli aggression.
Earlier, the UN Human Rights Office announced that 1,373 Palestinians have been martyred while seeking food since the launch of the “Gaza Humanitarian Mission” on May 27.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres affirmed that Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a “horrific humanitarian catastrophe” as a result of the starvation campaign imposed by the Israeli occupation amid its genocidal war on the Strip.
'Only flooding Gaza with aid can stop famine'
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini echoed the UN chief’s alarm, stating that the worst-case famine scenario is already happening in Gaza, and that the disaster is entirely “man-made.”
In a separate post on X, Lazzarini said, “Gaza has reached the brink of famine, with widespread hunger and acute malnutrition.”
He emphasized that “the only way to reverse this catastrophe is to flood Gaza with massive quantities of aid.” According to Lazzarini, the UN, including UNRWA, has the logistical capacity, with over 6,000 trucks of food and medical aid ready to enter Gaza from Jordan and Egypt.
