Gaza’s water crisis has intensified since Israel blocked nearly all fuel shipments into the enclave on March 2. With no fuel, desalination plants, wastewater treatment facilities and pumping stations have largely shut down, Al Jazeera reports.

Asem Alnabih, a spokesperson for Gaza’s municipality, said yesterday that only 12 of more than 70 municipal wells remain operational.

“We’re on the verge of death. Water can reach only 50 per cent of the city,” Alnabih told Al Jazeera, adding that the rest get nothing.

According to the International Rescue Committee, most people in Gaza now receive far less than the World Health Organisation’s emergency minimum of 15 litres per person per day.