Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Gaza as Water Runs Out at UN Shelters, Death Toll Surpasses Previous Conflict

In the struggling region of Gaza, a dire humanitarian crisis is unfolding as water supplies have depleted at UN shelters. Thousands of displaced residents have sought refuge in the courtyard of Gaza's largest hospital, fearing an imminent Israeli ground offensive. Overwhelmed medical staff are struggling to care for patients as they face the looming threat of generators running out of fuel.

Palestinian civilians in Gaza, already scarred by years of conflict, are now in a desperate struggle for survival. This crisis comes in the wake of an unprecedented Israeli operation initiated in response to a Hamas militant attack on October 7th, which tragically claimed the lives of 1300 Israelis, the majority of whom were civilians.

Israel has severed the flow of essential supplies, including food, medicine, water, and electricity to Gaza. Relentless airstrikes have decimated neighbourhoods, while Israeli authorities have urged approximately 1 million residents in the north to relocate southward in anticipation of the planned military offensive.

Despite a week of intense airstrikes, militant rocket attacks into Israel persist. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll has now climbed to 2329 Palestinians, making this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for Palestinian civilians.

Relief organizations have urgently called for the protection of Gaza's 2 million civilians and have urged the establishment of an emergency corridor for the safe transfer of humanitarian aid. Dr. Mohammed Qandeel, working at Nasser Hospital in southern Khan Younis, expressed the gravity of the situation, saying, "The difference with this escalation is we don't have medical aid coming in from outside, the border is closed, electricity is off, and this constitutes a high danger for our patients."

Doctors in the evacuation zone have been unable to relocate their patients safely and have chosen to stay to provide care. Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, head of paediatrics at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, stated firmly, "We shall not evacuate the hospital even if it costs us our lives."

The situation has become increasingly critical as hospitals' fuel stocks for generators approach exhaustion, potentially leading to the shutdown of essential medical facilities. United Nations humanitarian monitors estimate that this could happen as early as Monday.

At Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the heart of the evacuation zone, an estimated 35,000 people, including men, women, and children, have crowded into open spaces, lobbies, and hallways, seeking shelter from the ongoing conflict. Hospital director Mohammed Abu Selmia described their situation as extremely difficult, with hundreds of wounded individuals arriving at the hospital daily.

Approximately half a million Gaza residents have sought refuge in UN shelters, and their access to water has declined. Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN's Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), warned that "Gaza is running dry," and UN teams have been forced to ration water. Over the past 24 hours, a quarter of a million people in Gaza have sought shelter, primarily in UN schools, where clean water has become scarce. Across Gaza, families are rationing their dwindling water supplies, with many resorting to drinking dirty or brackish water, further compounding the humanitarian catastrophe in the region.