Israeli forces have killed a water engineer and two drivers transporting water to displaced families in Gaza over four days in mid-April, exacerbating severe clean water shortages that are fuelling preventable diseases, according to local officials and UN agencies.
Omar Shatat, deputy director of Gaza's coastal municipalities water utility, said about 19 water facility workers have been killed since the war began. The latest attack struck al-Zein well in northern Gaza, killing one engineer, injuring four, and causing extensive damage to a critical water source serving thousands.
Four days earlier, Israeli forces shot dead two Unicef drivers at the main water collection point for northern Gaza, injuring two others. Unicef warned the attack threatened humanitarian networks bringing clean water to hundreds of thousands. Across Gaza, average daily supply is only 7 litres of drinking water and 16 litres of domestic water, far below the UN emergency standard of 50-100 litres per person.
Israeli limits on soap and hygiene product shipments have doubled prices, creating a major crisis, said shopkeeper Anwar al-Maghribi. Laureline Lasserre of Médecins Sans Frontières said people are getting sick because they cannot access clean water and basic sanitation, with women and babies particularly affected. Displaced families report skin infections, intestinal illnesses, and psychological problems due to extreme shortages.
Omar Saada, a displaced father in Khan Younis, said water trucks serve over 50 families but only for two hours each morning. Nesma Rashwan, a mother of five in al-Qarara, said trucks come only once a week, forcing her family to ration water and risk contamination.
