Israel attacked Palestinian water sources over 250 times in five years, data reveals by Nina Lakhani

An estimated 90% of water and sanitation facilities in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged by direct attacks as military targets, or are inaccessible to Palestinians as they are located in areas blocked by the Israeli army. These actions have contributed to a public health catastrophe, according to Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.

“Such practices in Gaza, but also in other armed conflicts such as Sudan, constitute violations of international law, and have been documented as patterns of behaviour that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, that in the case of Gaza in particular, are an important part of a genocidal strategy,” said Arrojo.

“Israel has systematically used water to displace and segregate the Palestinian population in their own territories, illegally occupied since 1967, as part of its strategy of apartheid and progressive colonization,” he added.