Only one in 10 people in Gaza are currently able to access safe drinking water, Unicef warns.
The situation has worsened since the Israeli decision on Sunday to cut power to the territory, disrupting vital desalination operations.
Rosalia Bollen, a Unicef official in Gaza, said 600,000 people who had regained access to drinking water in November are once again cut off.
“It’s really vital for thousands of families and children to restore this connection,” she said.
UN agencies estimated that 1.8 million people — more than half of them children — urgently need water, sanitation and hygiene assistance.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini described the situation as “similar to the one which prevailed” at the start of Israel’s war in October 2023.
