ActionAid Palestine to Support Distributing Drinking Water to Displaced families in Gaza

Gaza Strip -Occupied Palestinian Territory - As the Israeli attacks continue, ActionAid and its partner in Gaza, Wefaq Society for Women and Child Care are working hard to ensure access to safe drinking water for as many families as possible. Through our partnership with WEFAQ, we distributed more than 230,000 liters of drinking water to more than 1400 displaced families in 23 shelters for nine days in Mawasi Khan Younis to respond to extreme water shortage which is having a devastating impact on people’s health in Gaza, as people are forced to rely on contaminated and insect-infested sources. 

With water facilities destroyed or unable to function without fuel, and with little aid entering Gaza, obtaining water is a daily struggle. Mothers have told ActionAid of walking long distances and queueing for hours to try and get their children something to drink. Often, the only water available is polluted, which is making people sick with diarrhea and vomiting, increasing the risk of dehydration. The undrinkable saltwater leads to high blood pressure; kidney disease; increased risk of stroke, intestinal, and stomach diseases. These effects will ultimately result in excessive dehydration of the body’s tissues, particularly brain tissue.

Over the last nine months, more than two-thirds (67%) of Gaza’s water and sanitation facilities -including wells, desalination plants and pipelines - have either been destroyed or damaged, WASH cluster partners estimate. Without fuel to power those still functioning, water production has plummeted, standing at just 26% of its pre-October 7 level as of June 2, according to UNOCHA.

A recent assessment at a site for displaced people in Deir al-Balah found that people had just 0.7 litres of water available on average per person per day, when people need at least 15 litres to meet their needs in an emergency and a minimum of three litres to survive.

Riham Jafari, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine said: 

“Gaza is in the throes of a water crisis that is making every day a struggle, as people spend hours travelling or queueing to get something for their families to drink. With clean water so scarce, people have no option but to drink dirty water that is making them sick. There is no escape from the intense heat that is turning tents into greenhouses and greatly increasing the risk of dehydration. The Rafah crossing remains closed and aid is still not entering Gaza at anything like the scale required. Every day more and more people are at risk of death from malnutrition and dehydration. Gaza needs more aid - including food, water, fuel and spare parts for critical water facilities - now. We reiterate our demand for a permanent and immediate ceasefire to put an end to this nine-month nightmare for good.”

Background Information

ActionAid in Palestine (AAP) is a part of global federation working for social justice and gender equality and eradicate poverty in more than 45 countries around the world. AAP started its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian People as ActionAid believes that they should enjoy their rights to freedom, justice and self-determination. AAP implements a number of programs through its engagement with communities and women and youth groups seeking to empower them and enhance their influential civil and political participation to understand their rights and undertake collective activism to address the protracted rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation of Palestine. AAP works simultaneously to enhance their leadership capacity and knowledge to practice their citizenship in holding authorities and other duty bearers to account.

For more information, please contact

Riham Jafari

Coordinator of Advocacy and Communication in Palestine

Mobile:

+972 (0) 595242890

Email: Riham.Jafari@actionaid.org