Less than four percent of water in Gaza is drinkable, fears of dying from dehydration

Palestinians in Gaza are facing a severe water crisis since Israel cut off all water to the besieged enclave on 9 October.

This decision has exacerbated the crisis in an already water-stressed area.

Less than four percent of freshwater is now drinkable and the surrounding sea is polluted by sewage, according to Oxfam.

The closure of Gaza’s only functioning power plant has compounded the problem, with the water utility warning that it does not have the fuel to run water and sanitation facilities when the power is off.

This means people in Gaza have been forced to drink dirty, salty water, sparking concerns of a health crisis and fears that people could start dying from dehydration.

Natasha Hall, a senior fellow with the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNN: “The only water people have is essentially non-potable seawater mixed with sewage.”

Other accounts report that Palestinians are being forced to drink unclean water intended for farming or use old, dirty wells.  

Human Rights Watch has called Israel's blocking off the water supply in Gaza a form of punishment.