Israel Deliberately Causing Thirst in Gaza: Mahmoud Abbas

The Israeli regime is “deliberately causing thirst” and spreading diseases in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority president said.

Mahmoud Abbas made the remark on Friday, according to the Palestinian news agency, WAFA.

Abbas made the remarks on World Water Day, which is celebrated annually on March 22.

"World Water Day this year comes at a time when our Palestinian people in Gaza are experiencing, like never before, the most heinous inhuman crimes of the occupation, which have claimed the lives of thousands of innocent victims, including martyrs, wounded, mostly children, women, and elderly," he said.

Abbas added that Gazans "stand in long lines for hours to get a little water, under the Israeli bombardment that targets them mercilessly, deliberately causing thirst, spreading diseases and epidemics among them, especially with the malfunctioning of sewage systems and the flooding of wastewater."

He said the Israeli aggression and deliberate destruction of the water and sewage sector in Gaza deprived residents of essential life components and exacerbated the water crisis, Anadolu Agency reported.

Abbas noted that the per capita water share in Gaza is currently three liters per day, while the minimum recommended by the World Health Organization is 120 liters and 15 liters for survival.

It means that the individual's share of water in Gaza is equivalent to 2.5% of the WHO recommended level and 20% of the minimum needed for survival.