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Asharq Al Awsat
01:21-10 May 2024
AD ـ 02 Thul-Qi’dah 1445 AH
Hundreds of Gaza's water and sanitation facilities have been damaged or destroyed since Israel began military action against Hamas, satellite analysis by BBC Verify has found.
Damage to a major supplies depot has also severely disrupted repairs.
The lack of clean water and flows of untreated sewage pose a serious threat to health, say aid agencies.
The destruction comes despite Israel's duty to protect critical infrastructure under the rules of war, unless there is evidence sites are being used for military reasons, say human rights lawyers.
Clean water has always been a limited resource in Gaza and the territory has largely relied on a system of boreholes and desalination plants for its supply.
BBC said in its report found that more than half of these vital facilities have been damaged or destroyed since Israel launched its retaliation in Gaza after Hamas attacked on 7 October.
It also said that four of the six wastewater treatment plants - crucial to preventing the build-up of sewage and the spread of disease - have been damaged or destroyed. The two others have shut down because lack of fuel or other supplies, according to one aid agency.
The plants were among more than 600 water and sanitation facilities that we analysed, using a list of locations provided by Gaza's Coastal
In one satellite image, of Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, two damaged large water storage tanks can be seen.
The destruction of water and sanitation facilities has led to "disastrous health consequences for the population", said Dr Natalie Roberts, executive director of Medecins Sans Frontieres UK.
"The rates of diarrhoeal disease have gone catastrophically high," she said.
In very severe cases, such disease can kill young children and the vulnerable. Rates of hepatitis A - found in contaminated water and particularly dangerous for pregnant women - are also high, according to the charity.
"This is killing people," Dr Roberts said.
There is a particular spike in disease in Rafah in the south where many Gazans have fled to, Dr Roberts said, and a risk of cholera.
There has been widespread damage to buildings across Gaza since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.
According to the UN, about 69,000 housing units have been destroyed and a further 290,000 damaged.
Hundreds of Gaza's water and sanitation facilities have been damaged or destroyed since Israel began military action against Hamas, satellite analysis by BBC Verify has found.
Damage to a major supplies depot has also severely disrupted repairs.
The lack of clean water and flows of untreated sewage pose a serious threat to health, say aid agencies.
The destruction comes despite Israel's duty to protect critical infrastructure under the rules of war, unless there is evidence sites are being used for military reasons, say human rights lawyers.
Clean water has always been a limited resource in Gaza and the territory has largely relied on a system of boreholes and desalination plants for its supply.
BBC said in its report found that more than half of these vital facilities have been damaged or destroyed since Israel launched its retaliation in Gaza after Hamas attacked on 7 October.
It also said that four of the six wastewater treatment plants - crucial to preventing the build-up of sewage and the spread of disease - have been damaged or destroyed. The two others have shut down because lack of fuel or other supplies, according to one aid agency.
The plants were among more than 600 water and sanitation facilities that we analysed, using a list of locations provided by Gaza's Coastal
In one satellite image, of Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, two damaged large water storage tanks can be seen.
The destruction of water and sanitation facilities has led to "disastrous health consequences for the population", said Dr Natalie Roberts, executive director of Medecins Sans Frontieres UK.
"The rates of diarrhoeal disease have gone catastrophically high," she said.
In very severe cases, such disease can kill young children and the vulnerable. Rates of hepatitis A - found in contaminated water and particularly dangerous for pregnant women - are also high, according to the charity.
"This is killing people," Dr Roberts said.
There is a particular spike in disease in Rafah in the south where many Gazans have fled to, Dr Roberts said, and a risk of cholera.
There has been widespread damage to buildings across Gaza since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.
According to the UN, about 69,000 housing units have been destroyed and a further 290,000 damaged.
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