UN warns of deepening hunger, water crisis in Gaza
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UNRWA and aid groups report catastrophic hunger and water shortages in Gaza, with rising malnutrition, failing infrastructure, and blocked humanitarian aid.
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Displaced Palestinians gather to collect water from a truck at a makeshift tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP)
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said Monday it is receiving “desperate hunger messages” from its staff in the Gaza Strip, as the humanitarian situation deteriorates into what the agency described as unprecedented levels of starvation and malnutrition.
More than two million Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from severe shortages of food and essential supplies. Medical reports and statements from civil defense teams and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) highlight a sharp rise in malnutrition cases, particularly among children, amid the collapse of the health system and restricted humanitarian access.
Last week, Doctors Without Borders warned of a fast-accelerating health crisis, citing "unprecedented" rates of acute malnutrition in two of its Gaza clinics. The organization noted that the situation is worsened by the near-total breakdown of medical infrastructure and ongoing restrictions on aid deliveries.
Gaza water infrastructure collapsing
Adding to the crisis, Gaza Municipality announced Monday that the main desalination plant in the northern part of the city has completely shut down due to fuel shortages and the continuation of "Israeli" bombardment, plunging the city into extreme thirst.
The suspension of the Mekorot water line, one of the few external water sources supplying Gaza, has deepened the water crisis significantly. The municipality confirmed that the main water line is no longer operational, cutting off supply to large areas across the city.
Officials described the situation as an imminent humanitarian catastrophe, noting that the majority of water wells have stopped pumping. The compounded crises of hunger, malnutrition, and water deprivation threaten the lives of over two million people in Gaza, where emergency aid access remains dangerously limited.
Water crisis grows worse
The Gaza Municipality announced Monday that the main desalination plant in the northern part of the city has ceased operations entirely, as the fuel crisis deepens and Israeli aggression continues, plunging the city into a severe state of thirst.
According to the municipality, the shutdown of the Mekorot water supply line, alongside the worsening fuel shortage, has severely exacerbated the already dire water crisis gripping Gaza.
The city’s main water line has stopped functioning, cutting off water access to vast areas across the municipality. The situation, officials warn, is quickly escalating into an imminent humanitarian disaster.
