UN special rapporteurs decry militarisation of water and current humanitarian situation in Gaza

On the 16th of September, three UN special rapporteurs  commented on the situation in Gaza from the perspective of their different thematic mandates to advise on human rights. The human rights experts also levelled criticism at Western states for continuing to support Israel despite human rights infringements.  

UN special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation Pedro Arrojo-Agudo stated that Israel’s violation of existing international law has been established by the International Court of Justice. He further pointed out that the militarisation of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories has been at the heart of a policy of “water and territorial apartheid” for the past 50 years, including the destruction of basic Palestinian water infrastructure.

The average of 4.7 litres of water per person per day available in Gaza is far below the WHO’s minimum requirement of 15 litres in emergency situations. The only natural source of water in Gaza is the coastal aquifer, he stated, which is being depleted by pumping water at three times the natural rate of recharge. This has led to intense intrusion of marine water, resulting in increased salinity of this water source.

Israel, he stated, has blocked critical materials necessary for purifying water from entering into the Gaza strip, In addition, he says “Israel has blocked 70% of the materials needed to build and operate sewage treatment plants as 'dual-use,' preventing proper sewage treatment, which is progressively leading to faecal contamination of groundwater". The lack of clean water has been reported to result in 1.7 million cases of infectious diseases – including diarrhoea, dysentery and hepatitis A, polio and smallpox, which coupled with the lack of medical care affects specifically babies and children “making water scarcity and contamination a silent bomb, which has far less visibility than those that destroy buildings and have killed tens of thousands of civilians; but a no less lethal bomb," Pedro Arrojo-Agudo says in an interview. Furthermore, he said Palestinians have no access to the Jordan River and cannot build wells or water infrastructure in their own territories. Referring to the situation before the outbreak of hostilities, he stated: "they have only 70 Liters per person per day, and many rural communities have only 20 Liters, while the Israeli population has four times more on average, and illegal settlers receive and use 18 times more water for their crops and swimming pools".

Separately, in a new report on starvation and the right to food, with an emphasis on the food sovereignty of the Palestinian people, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, accuses Israel of carrying out a deliberate starvation campaign in Gaza. The report states that on the 9th of October 2023, Israel announced its starvation campaign against Gaza, and that by December, Palestinians in Gaza made up 80 per cent of the people in the world experiencing famine or catastrophic hunger. The report states that never in post-war history has a population been made to go hungry so quickly and so completely as was the case for the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza. In his interview Fakhri also refers to the denial of aid and goods to Gaza, as well as the destruction of 75% of the agricultural system, the uprooting of orchards, and attacks on fishermen.

Referring to global food security, the report states that the world produces enough food to feed 1.5 times the current population, and yet prevalence of hunger, malnutrition and famine are on the rise. Therefore, the report states, hunger and famine are not production problems, they are always caused by acts and omissions which deny people access to food.

According to the UN special rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, civilian infrastructure is being attacked— roads, water reservoirs, electricity, electricity sources and homes. In this context, Ms Albanese warned that Israel risks becoming a pariah by assaulting UN facilities in Gaza as well as its civilian population.