Last night, the Israeli occupation launched the Gaza assault operation where it begun a ground offensive in the southern of the Strip in addition to attacks on the rest of the area including bridges and power supply to the whole of Gaza Strip. The Central power supply that provides more than 40 % of the electricity services to the Strip was one of the main targets for the Israeli occupation forces.

Therefore currently, the whole Strip has no electricity services. This means that households are not able to get water other than the quantity available in the 1 to 2 m3 roof tanks, if they escaped direct attacks and shooting from the Israeli occupation forces. It is well known that towers in the Gaza Strip normally use boosters that help in pumping the water from the water network lines to the apartments in these towers. With no electricity, this became impossible to do. People started to have shortage in water supply and the situation is expected to be even worse in the coming short period.

The attacks of Al Sekkeh bridge which is between Al Mughraqa and Al Nuseirat caused the complete damage of water main lines that supply water to the central area of the Strip which includes: Al Nuseirat, Al Bureij, Al Zawaydeh, and Al Maghazy areas. About 50 meters cast iron water main lines were damaged. This main line used to provide water from three main groundwater wells in Al Mughraqa. Currently, more than 50% of the population in the central area of the Strip is suffering from shortage in water supply.

Yesterday it was only the problem of shortage in diesel for operation of some wells in the Strip, but today, with no electricity or diesel to pump water from the main sources, including Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza city, a humanitarian crisis is affecting the whole Gaza Strip and is expected to be even worse if electricity and diesel are not available for the main sources of water and households.

On the other hand, people in Al Shuokah area near the location of Gaza airport started to flee their houses after the Israeli incursion, forcing them to be refugees again who are in bad need of basic services including water supply. This situation is expected to even double the humanitarian crisis.