On July 17 Oxfam, the non-governmental organization dedicated to end world poverty, released a report, Water War Crimes to detail how Israel has used water as a weapon in violation of international law. Since the beginning of the fighting Israel has attacked five water or wastewater facilities every three days. The availability of water has dropped by 94% in that period to about 4.7 liters per person per day which is considered one-third of an emergency allocation. The production of water locally dropped 84% and the importation of water has dropped 78% during the fighting.
Israel cut-off the importation of spare parts to repair water facilities, the fuel to operate the facilities, and even water quality testing kits to monitor the water quality. Gaza City has had 88% of its water wells destroyed and 100% of its desalination facilities are out of production.
Oxfam reports that 26% of the people in Gaza have become ill from simple, easily preventable diseases. Oxfam is calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, for Israel to allow “unfettered humanitarian response,” and for Israel to pay for the damage it caused to water and sanitation infrastructure.
