Palestinians in Gaza sheltering from an intensifying Israeli bombardment that has killed thousands of people are running out of clean water and face growing health risks with public services at a halt and hospitals closing, Reuters reports.
In Khan Younis, in the south of the tiny, crowded enclave, nine-year-old Rafif Abu Ziyada said she was drinking dirty water and getting stomach pains and headaches.
“There is no cooking gas, there is no water, we don’t eat well. We are getting sick,” she said. “There’s garbage on the ground and the whole place is polluted.”
Pumps to extract groundwater and desalination plants to treat seawater are out of order for lack of electricity. Tankers cannot move water by road without fuel.
“The water is salty. In normal days you wouldn’t give it to a donkey to drink. But nowadays you must drink it and let your children drink it,” said Ibrahim Al-Jabalawy, 60. “There’s no medicine to treat them if they get sick from the polluted water,” he added.
