UN Asks Israel To Stop Using Water As “Weapon Of War”

The United Nations, an intergovernmental organization, has asked Israel to stop using water as a “weapon of war” amid the conflict between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, has warned that Israel must allow clean water and fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo called on Israeli authorities to stop using water as a “weapon of war.” Amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, the UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation urged the Israeli authorities to allow clean water into Gaza “before it is too late.” Pedro Arrojo-Agudo said that intentionally depriving the civilians of water rights was a crime against humanity. 

He reportedly said, “Every hour that passes with Israel preventing the provision of safe drinking water in the Gaza Strip puts Gazans at risk of dying of thirst and diseases related to the lack of safe drinking water.”

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Crime against humanity

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that lack of water was having devastating effects in Gaza. The complete breakdown of water supplies, sewage-management systems, and sanitation services resulted in the sufferings of children and women in the Gaza Strip.

Children, especially those under the age of five, and women are suffering because of lack of water. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has said that about 70 per cent of Gazans are drinking contaminated water or salt water to survive. They are suffering from dehydration and waterborne diseases. 

Pregnant women in Gaza have been suffering because of the Israel-Hamas war. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip are bearing the consequences of the conflict. Israeli airstrikes on Gaza resulted in the sufferings of women and children. Dominic Allen, the UNFPA representative for the Palestinian Territories, said that women needed urgent medical aid to deliver their babies. 

Israeli women are also at risk as Hamas are using rape as a weapon of war. Women in Gaza and Israel are suffering because of the Hamas-Israel conflict.