Gaza's population is tormented by thirst in the scorching summer heat
Hundreds of thousands of Gazans like him struggle daily to find water for drinking and cooking. This ordeal can be deadly. On July 13, in Nuseirat, in the center of the Palestinian territory, seven children waiting to fill their bottles at a water truck were killed in an Israeli strike. Israel later called it a "technical error."
Like the famine, the water crisis is entirely man-made by Israel. Water supplies in the Gaza Strip depend on three main sources: desalination plants, underground wells and imports from Israel, which arrive through three connections in the north, center and south.
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France 24
27-07-2025
- France 24
Israeli military to pause fighting in 3 Gaza areas amid warnings of famine
The Israeli military said Sunday it would pause fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery to desperate Palestinians, launching a series of steps meant to address a surge in hunger in the territory as Israel faces a wave of international criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war. The military said it would begin a 'tactical pause' in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations, to 'increase the scale of humanitarian aid' entering the territory. The pause would begin every day at 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time until further notice, beginning Sunday. The military also said Sunday that it carried out aid airdrops into Gaza, which included packages of aid with flour, sugar and canned food. Food experts have warned for months of the risk of famine in Gaza, where Israel has restricted aid because it says Hamas siphons off goods to help bolster its rule. Images emerging from Gaza in recent days of emaciated children have fanned global criticism of Israel, including by close allies, who have called for an end to the war and the humanitarian catastrophe it has spawned. Israel said the new measures were taking place while it continues its offensive against Hamas in other areas. The local pause in fighting came days after ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas appeared to be in doubt. On Friday, Israel and the U.S. recalled their negotiating teams, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering 'alternative options' to ceasefire talks with the militant group. After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies completely to Gaza for 2 ½ months, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages. 02:03 Under international pressure, Israel slightly eased the blockade in May. Since then, it has allowed in around 4,500 trucks for the U.N. and other aid groups to distribute. The average of 69 trucks a day, however, is far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the U.N. says are needed for Gaza. The U.N. says it has been unable to distribute much of the aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from its arriving trucks. As a way to divert aid delivery away from the U.N., Israel has backed the U.S.-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which in May opened four centers distributing boxes of food supplies. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near those new aid sites, the U.N. human rights office says. Israel has railed against the U.N. throughout the war, saying that its system allowed Hamas to steal aid, without providing evidence. The U.N. denies that claim and says its delivery mechanism was the best way to bring aid to Palestinians. The military said the new steps were made in coordination with the U.N. and other humanitarian groups. Much of Gaza's population, squeezed by fighting into ever tinier patches of land, now relies on aid. The war began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Hamas still holds 50 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.
LeMonde
24-07-2025
- LeMonde
Gaza's population is tormented by thirst in the scorching summer heat
Taking refuge in the Mawassi area, which stretches along the southern coast of Gaza, Ahmed Rashad, a father of five, had to walk 5 kilometers under stifling heat to reach a freshwater tap. He is among the Gazans living in areas that are difficult for humanitarian water trucks to access due to the dangers posed by Israeli military operations. "From 7 am, you have to focus on finding water. I take my 13-year-old son. I carry two 20-liter jugs, and he carries one 10-liter jug. The hardest part is getting there: It's all uphill! On the way back, we're so thirsty we drink 2 or 3 liters right away," recounted Ahmed, 42, exhausted after 14 months of living in a tent. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans like him struggle daily to find water for drinking and cooking. This ordeal can be deadly. On July 13, in Nuseirat, in the center of the Palestinian territory, seven children waiting to fill their bottles at a water truck were killed in an Israeli strike. Israel later called it a "technical error." Like the famine, the water crisis is entirely man-made by Israel. Water supplies in the Gaza Strip depend on three main sources: desalination plants, underground wells and imports from Israel, which arrive through three connections in the north, center and south.
France 24
24-06-2025
- France 24
With missiles overhead, Tel Aviv residents huddle underground
For those with no safe shelters near their homes, the city's underground stations and car parks have become vital refuges since the war began on June 13. Despite nightly missile barrages, Israel's casualty toll has remained relatively low, with authorities repeatedly stressing the importance of taking cover in life-saving protected spaces. "The day after the Israeli intervention in Iran began, there was an explosion, a bomb not far from my home, and the entire shelter I was in shock," Muriel Azria, 58, who works in tourism, told AFP in a Tel Aviv metro station. She arrives prepared every evening with her suitcase and her dog, ready for a night on her council-provided mattress set up on the platform. "From the moment I enter the subway, which is magnificent, I calm down," she said. "It's not very comfortable, but at least I'm not afraid, we hear much less booming." "There are people, everyone is generally very nice," she told AFP. Israeli residents receive blaring phone alerts via SMS to warn them of incoming Iranian missiles, often in the early hours of the morning. These are often followed by the wail of overhead air raid sirens. Among the haphazardly placed mattresses on the platforms of the metro stations, some people clutch phones while others play cards, do crosswords or chat to pass the time underground. For 86-year-old retiree Yudit Kamara, who does not have a shelter at home, the daily journey to the underground station has become an ordeal. "It's too much, I don't have the strength anymore to go through this. It's really difficult," she told AFP. "All these children here, all this mess, and it's really cold and not so comfortable. But what other choice do we have? Where will we go?" she asked, stifling a sob. More than 60 percent of Israelis do not have a safe shelter at home, according to the NGO Latet, which distributes emergency kits, food parcels and children's games to the most vulnerable families. 'Need to be strong' "I'm very nervous but I need to be strong for my child," said 48-year-old Erlenn Solomon, who has slept every night in an underground station since the start of the conflict. "As a mom, you need to be strong." Israel's economic hub Tel Aviv has been particularly targeted by Iran's missiles since the start of the conflict on June 13. The full extent of the damage from Iran's attacks on Israel is not known due to military censorship rules, but at least 50 impacts have been acknowledged nationwide and 24 people have died, according to official figures. Once a rare sight in a country with highly sophisticated air defences, Israelis have now become somewhat used to waking up to images of blown-out buildings and rubble-strewn streets. As well as the metro, some have sought shelter from the bombing in the depths of underground car parks. "It's terrible. I've had some moments where I've told my parents I don't want to do this anymore, I want to go home, back to the apartment where we live close," said Maya Papirany, 27, speaking four storeys below ground. "Then they remind me of the dangers of not being down here," she added. Some sit in plastic chairs while others lie in sleeping bags with their eyes glued to their phones to follow the situation above ground. Papirany now sleeps alongside her mother and children on a mattress on the floor of a car park lined with tents. Beside her, a young girl sleeps soundly. "They're not scared of the bombs. I think they're too young to really understand what's going on, and they don't really understand the seriousness of it, so they think it's, like, a fun game," she said.
