Children in Gaza are facing a severe crisis, with officials warning that they may be weeks away from dying of thirst due to an ongoing fuel blockade. According to a spokesperson for UNICEF, James Elder, this 100-day blockade has created a dire situation where the distribution of water has been severely hindered. “You need fuel to distribute water,” Elder emphasized, highlighting the devastating impact this has on the population’s access to something as fundamental as water.
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Having just returned from Gaza, Mr. Elder remarked that the blockade on fuel entering the territory represents “one of the darkest testimonies to the intent of what we’re seeing in Gaza.” He added, “A 100-day blockade of fuel means that people are within weeks of seeing children die of thirst.”
Mr. Elder pointed out that Israel controls the pipelines and has the ability to “turn the tap on and off,” underlining the critical role that electricity plays in powering desalination plants that are essential for producing clean water. “You can talk backwards and forwards about blocking food because Hamas steals it; there’s no evidence base to that,” he stated. “It’s a population being starved; water goes straight to a population, so again there is no rhyme nor reason, no evidence nor logic for that.”
As displaced Palestinians queue to fill cans with water delivered by tankers in Gaza City, the situation continues to deteriorate. The recent escalation in violence began in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in significant casualties and hostage situations, according to Israeli reports. Meanwhile, Gaza’s health ministry indicates that Israel’s subsequent military actions have claimed the lives of over 56,000 Palestinians.
This ongoing conflict has led to not only a humanitarian crisis but also severe accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and war crimes at the International Criminal Court, all of which Israel denies. A ceasefire that had held for two months collapsed following Israeli strikes that resulted in the deaths of over 400 Palestinians on March 18.
Mr. Elder noted that the US and Israeli-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation operates just four sites in Gaza to deliver food aid. “Imagine if all of Dublin was under siege, and you can only access food from four locations in Citywest,” he explained. Unfortunately, he continued, “UNICEF can’t access them because these sites are located in a militarized area,” underscoring the complications involved in delivering aid. “Anywhere we move in the Gaza Strip must be deconflicted,” he added.
Discussing the risks of operating in such conditions, he asserted, “You cannot force people through a militarized zone and then have a justification for them being shot because they’re in that zone.” Despite these challenges, Mr. Elder noted that UNICEF is still able to distribute therapeutic food without incidents of violence, whether in Gaza, Sudan, or Ethiopia.
Yet amidst this chaos, Mr. Elder expressed “immense hope” for the future of Gaza, citing its impressive literacy rates and the resilience of its people. “Parents and grandparents do everything in their power to keep those kids in school,” he stated. “UNICEF does the same in our education and trauma work.” He pointed out, “There’s a reason why Palestinian graduates from Gaza are the envy of universities around the region.”
Nonetheless, he cautioned that the psychological impact of the ongoing conflict is unprecedented. “We are in uncharted territory when it comes to trauma,” Mr. Elder warned. “Every single child in Gaza needs mental health support. So I think we’re at a point where it’s overdue; the international community needs to act.”
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
