The UN is warning that displaced families are being forced to use “dirty sea water” for their daily needs due to a lack of clean water access as Israeli forces destroy essential infrastructure and keep Gaza’s borders closed to vital humanitarian relief.

The UNRWA agency for Palestinian refugees, said access to clean water is critical for the health and “survival of hundreds of thousands across the Gaza Strip”.

“Increasing heat & lack of hygiene are making an already dire situation far worse,” the UNRWA said in a post on X, alongside video of children collecting water from the sea on Gaza’s coastline.