By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL-On Thursday, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced it reached a deal with Israel to restore power to Gaza’s key desalination plant so that water can get get to at least one million displaced civilians in Gaza. In a statement, the organization said: “UNICEF confirms an agreement (with Israel) was reached to re-establish the medium voltage feeder power line for the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant,” according to UNICEF agency spokesman in the Palestinian territories, Jonathan Crickx. Crickx lauded the agreement as an “important milestone,” since water in the region became almost non-existent since October 7.
According to reports and data from U.N. agencies, since Israel began its war on Gaza, over two-thirds of the enclave’s sanitation and water facilities were destroyed or severely damaged in Israeli attacks. In addition, very little to no bottled water has been allowed into Gaza since Israel imposed a blockade on the region. Crickx said that a plant in Khan Younis after being resupplied with electricity should most likely produce enough water to “meet what humanitarian standards define as a minimum intake of 15 liters per day or drinking water per person, for nearly a million displaced people” in southern Gaza. It’s expected that the plant can produce up to 15,000 cubic meters or 15 million liters of water per day at full capacity, UNICEF said.
