Two soldiers with green tactical clothes and black combat boots hanging guns from their hips appear to be wiring explosives to pumps at the Canada Water reservoir in Rafah, southern Gaza.
A few moments later, ribbons of grey smoke shoot skyward as an orange fire rips through the vital building in the Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood.
CNN geolocated a now-deleted video that appeared to show the explosion and was posted on Instagram by an Israeli soldier. Damage to the reservoir occurred between July 26 and 27, according to satellite photos. There are apparent buildings that have been destroyed nearby. The reservoir could hold 3 million liters of water and was central to the treatment and distribution of water in the Rafah Governate, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), providing water for 150,000 people prior to October 7, when the war began.
When asked about the incident captured on camera, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN that its troops had been operating in the Tal al-Sultan area for several weeks to “dismantle terrorist infrastructures and eliminate terrorists, whilst taking feasible measures in order to mitigate damage to civilian structures.” It added that it examines reports of videos posted to social media and handles them with disciplinary measures. The IDF said the incident was under review by the Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism, “an independent investigative mechanism outside the chain of command entrusted with investigating exceptional events in warfare.” There have been many water facilities damaged or destroyed by Israel’s 10-month-long assault in Gaza, according to the UN and various other international bodies, compounding the civilian population’s suffering, risking the spread of disease and leading human rights experts to accuse Israel of using water supply as a weapon.
The destruction of the Canada Water reservoir “is certainly a breach of international humanitarian law (IHL),” Mark Zeitoun, director general of the Geneva Water Hub, a Swiss institute specializing in hydro-diplomacy, told CNN. “IHL is meant to protect against indiscriminate attacks on the civilian population or the objects they depend upon (for) survival,” he said. Even before the controlled explosion in late July, the Israeli siege drained fuel and electricity supplies needed to power the Canada Water reservoir and other water systems in the city, according to Rafah’s mayor, Ahmed Al-Sofi, causing severe shortages.
“Rafah was already suffering from water shortages,” Al-Sofi told CNN in July. “The city of Rafah is a city struck by destruction, hunger and thirst.” The amount of water available in Gaza works out at 4.74 liters of water (1 gallon) per person per day, Oxfam reported in July, adding that this is “just under a third of the recommended minimum in emergencies and less than a single toilet flush.” The international nonprofit has accused Israel of using water as a “weapon of war,” saying Palestinians in Gaza have “almost no water to drink, let alone to bathe, cook, or clean.”
Extreme summer heat in Gaza is making a desperate shortage of water even worse for Palestinians already stalked by famine and struggling with repeated displacement. This June was the hottest on record in Israel, according to the Israel Meteorological Service. Temperatures in Negba, a few miles north of Gaza, reached 39.4 C (103F) in the middle of the month, according to CNN meteorologists. Israel’s war in Gaza has reduced supplies of fuel, chlorine and spare parts, stifling water production, purification and sewage pumping, according to the UN. Around 70% of all water and sanitation facilities in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, the WASH Cluster, a United Nations-led group that coordinates humanitarian efforts for water, sanitation and hygiene, said on July 24, citing satellite analysis from the UN Satellite Centre.
World Health Organization (WHO) testing discovered the virus in sewage samples in Gaza in July, putting thousands of Palestinians at risk of contracting a disease that can cause paralysis. After the Gaza Ministry of Health declared a polio epidemic last month, the WHO warned that ongoing Israeli bombardment had stifled vaccination efforts in Gaza. They are now calling for a halt to the fighting to allow for an effective vaccination drive. Widower Alaa Riyad says he treks many miles every day under the glare of the sun to collect water for his family, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.
Source: Here
