Palestinian children carry bottles, looking for water sources. (AFP file photo)
The UN special rapporteur on water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo Agudo, has warned that lack of access to clean drinking water in Gaza could have just as devastating a humanitarian toll as the bombing of civilians.
“At present, people have no clean water for drinking, so they have a small quantity of salinised and contaminated water,” he told Al Jazeera.
“That means – particularly for children – that we can expect, and I’m sure there are, thousands of cases of diarrhea and other diseases.”
Agudo said that Article 7 of the Rome Statute stipulates that “cutting off civilians from basic supplies – such as food, medicine, drinking water, which is essential for the daily life of the people – is a crime against humanity”.
“This is very clear,” he said.
Today, Gaza received rain, and this child expressed his joy and gratitude by saying, “Thank God! God has quenched us with rainwater. God knows our suffering and has sent us water. "#Gaza #Palestine pic.twitter.com/tS8ehpaoaL
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) November 14, 2023
