A Gaza resident collects water amid the destruction. Gaza war: Clean water shortages and new evacuation orders Peace and security
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the deaths of people, including women and children, in Gaza as a result of an Israeli strike on the Al-Tabaeen school where hundreds of families were sheltering.
According to a statement by his press service, the UN chief notes with alarm that the provisions of Security Council resolution 2735 (2024) are not being implemented. He welcomes the mediation efforts of the United States, Egypt and Qatar and calls on both sides to the conflict to return to negotiations and conclude an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
The threat of polio
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, untreated sewage has formed entire ponds near camps for internally displaced people.
“Sewage is everywhere,” said UNICEF representative Salim Oweis, drawing attention to the destruction of the water supply network and treatment facilities as a result of the military action. Gazans continue to suffer from diarrhea and skin diseases, according to the UN Children’s Fund.
UN humanitarian agencies are calling for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of oral polio vaccines, after the virus was found in the enclave’s wastewater.
Evacuation continues
On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of parts of the city of Khan Yunis, citing significant terrorist activity in its declared “humanitarian zone”, including rocket attacks on Israel from the Al area. -Jalaa.
The United Nations Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has drawn attention to the impact of multiple evacuation orders issued since last Thursday. An estimated 75,000 people were forced to leave areas of Khan Yunis.
“One elderly man was desperately trying to push his mobile chair, which kept getting stuck in the sand,” said UNRWA spokeswoman Louise Wateridge. According to her, signs of exhaustion were visible on the man’s face.
“The children were carrying empty water cans because this is one of the most valuable items. Now anything you can put water in is one of your main assets… People were carrying mattresses, jerry cans, empty bottles and nothing else because they can only take what they can handle,” Wateridge added.
An UNRWA staff member noted that families continue to seek refuge in Deir el-Balah and western Khan Younis. “Both areas are already severely overcrowded, have few affordable housing and services left, and can barely accommodate the additional influx of displaced people,” she said.