The ongoing war on the Gaza Strip is resulting in multifaceted humanitarian suffering, including death, siege, hunger, disease, and displacement, amidst the lack of basic necessities for life. Hundreds of thousands of Gaza Strip residents have lost access to clean and unclean water due to the destruction of water networks and Israel’s cutting of electricity to the main desalination plant and halting supplies from the Israeli water company.
Amidst an unprecedented crisis in the sector, the UAE’s project to supply desalinated water from Egypt to Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, has reached its final stage. This is a crucial step to provide desalinated water to hundreds of thousands of displaced residents in the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis.
The project’s production capacity is estimated at 10,000 cubic meters of desalinated water, with a duration of one month. Having been in operation for about 20 days, more than 60% of the pipes have been completed, and all preparations will soon be finalized to make the water line ready, providing water to approximately 600,000 displaced people at a rate of 15 liters per person, which is the minimum daily share according to international standards.
Maqadama notes that the water tankers reaching the displaced have physically and financially exhausted them, complicating their lives further. In Mawasi Khan Younis, there is hope for the arrival of water to alleviate some of the daily suffering, as people stand for long hours in queues for limited amounts of water, often unsuitable for drinking.
At the end of last month, the Israeli army announced that it approved the UAE’s initiative to extend a water line from a desalination plant in Egypt to the Mawasi area in the Gaza Strip. This follows the UAE’s announcement of implementing the largest desalination project from Egypt to southern Gaza Strip as part of the “Operation Gallant Knight 3”. This involves a new 315 mm diameter, 7-kilometer pipeline connecting the UAE desalination plant in Egypt to the displacement areas between Khan Younis and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
A study revealed significant public health risks due to increased water pollution from the ramifications of the Israeli war on the sector. More than 80% of water facilities have been impacted, with salinity levels in groundwater wells reaching critical levels, reflecting significant seawater intrusion. Damage to sewage networks has increased the risk of groundwater contamination.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas fighters launched an attack on southern Israel, resulting in the death of 1,200 Israelis, according to official Israeli data. In response to Hamas’s attack, Israel vowed to “eliminate” the movement and recover the hostages.
