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New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
110,000 at risk as settlers attack Palestinian water system
From his monitoring station on a remote hill in the occupied West Bank, water operator Subhil Olayan keeps watch over a lifeline for Palestinians, the Ein Samiyah spring. So when Israeli settlers recently attacked the system of wells, pumps and pipelines he oversees, he knew the stakes. "There is no life without water, of course," he said. The attack temporarily cut off water supply to nearby villages. The spring, which feeds the pumping station, is the main or backup water source for 110,000 people, according to the Palestinian company that manages it—making it one of the most vital in the West Bank, where water is in chronic short supply. "The settlers came and the first thing they did was break the pipeline. And when the pipeline is broken, we automatically have to stop pumping" water to nearby villages, some of which exclusively rely on the Ein Samiyah spring. "The water just goes into the dirt, into the ground," said Olayan, adding that workers immediately fixed the damage to resume water supply. Just two days after the latest attack, Israeli settlers—some of them armed—splashed in pools just below the spring, while Olayan monitored water pressure and cameras from a distance. His software showed normal pressure in the pipes pulling water from the wells and the large pipe carrying water up the hill to his village of Kafr Malik. But he said maintenance teams dared not venture down to the pumping station out of fear for their safety. Since the start of the war in Gaza, deadly settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have become commonplace. Recently, settlers beat a 20-year-old dual US citizen to death in the nearby village of Sinjil. Issa Qassis, chairman of the board of the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, which manages the Ein Samiyah spring, said he viewed the attacks as a tool for Israeli land grabs and annexation. "When you restrict water supply in certain areas, people simply move where water is available," he said at a press conference. "So in a plan to move people to other lands, water is the best and fastest way," he said. Since the start of the war in Gaza, several Israeli politicians and officials have become increasingly vocal in support of annexing the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Most prominent among them is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, who said in November that 2025 would be the year Israel applied its sovereignty over the Palestinian territory. Qassis accused Israel's government of supporting settler attacks, such as the one on Ein Samiyah. The damage to Ein Samiyah's water facilities was not an isolated incident. In recent months, settlers in the nearby Jordan Valley took control of the Al-Auja spring by diverting its water from upstream, said Farhan Ghawanmeh, a representative of the Ras Ein Al Auja community. He said two other springs in the area had also recently been taken over. In Dura al-Qaraa, another West Bank village that uses the Ein Samiyah spring as a back-up water source, residents are also concerned about increasingly long droughts and the way Israel regulates their water rights. "For years now, no one has been planting because the water levels have decreased," said Rafeaa Qasim, a member of the village council, citing lower rainfall causing the land to be "basically abandoned." Qasim said though water shortages in the village had existed for 30 years, residents' hands were tied in the face of this challenge. "We have no options; digging a well is not allowed," he said, pointing to a well project that the United Nations and World Bank rejected due to Israeli law prohibiting drilling in the area. The lands chosen for drilling sit in the West Bank's Area C, which covers over 60 per cent of the territory and is under full Israeli control. Israeli NGO B'Tselem reported in 2023 that the legal system led to sharp disparities in water access within the West Bank between Palestinians and Israelis. Whereas nearly all residents of Israel and Israeli settlements have running water every day, by contrast, only 36 per cent of West Bank Palestinians do, said the report.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Settler attacks threaten West Bank communities
From his monitoring station on a remote hill in the occupied West Bank, water operator Subhil Olayan keeps watch over a lifeline for Palestinians, the Ein Samiyah spring. So when Israeli settlers recently attacked the system of wells, pumps and pipelines he oversees, he knew the stakes. "There is no life without water, of course," he said. The attack temporarily cut off water supply to nearby villages. The spring, which feeds the pumping station, is the main or backup water source for 110,000 people, according to the Palestinian company that manages it—making it one of the most vital in the West Bank, where water is in chronic short supply. "The settlers came and the first thing they did was break the pipeline. And when the pipeline is broken, we automatically have to stop pumping" water to nearby villages, some of which exclusively rely on the Ein Samiyah spring. "The water just goes into the dirt, into the ground," said Olayan, adding that workers immediately fixed the damage to resume water supply. Just two days after the latest attack, Israeli settlers—some of them armed—splashed in pools just below the spring, while Olayan monitored water pressure and cameras from a distance. His software showed normal pressure in the pipes pulling water from the wells and the large pipe carrying water up the hill to his village of Kafr Malik. But he said maintenance teams dared not venture down to the pumping station out of fear for their safety. Since the start of the war in Gaza, deadly settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have become commonplace. Recently, settlers beat a 20-year-old dual US citizen to death in the nearby village of Sinjil. Issa Qassis, chairman of the board of the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, which manages the Ein Samiyah spring, said he viewed the attacks as a tool for Israeli land grabs and annexation. "When you restrict water supply in certain areas, people simply move where water is available," he said at a press conference. "So in a plan to move people to other lands, water is the best and fastest way," he said. Since the start of the war in Gaza, several Israeli politicians and officials have become increasingly vocal in support of annexing the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Most prominent among them is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, who said in November that 2025 would be the year Israel applied its sovereignty over the Palestinian territory. Qassis accused Israel's government of supporting settler attacks, such as the one on Ein Samiyah. The damage to Ein Samiyah's water facilities was not an isolated incident. In recent months, settlers in the nearby Jordan Valley took control of the Al-Auja spring by diverting its water from upstream, said Farhan Ghawanmeh, a representative of the Ras Ein Al Auja community. He said two other springs in the area had also recently been taken over. In Dura al-Qaraa, another West Bank village that uses the Ein Samiyah spring as a back-up water source, residents are also concerned about increasingly long droughts and the way Israel regulates their water rights. "For years now, no one has been planting because the water levels have decreased," said Rafeaa Qasim, a member of the village council, citing lower rainfall causing the land to be "basically abandoned." Qasim said though water shortages in the village had existed for 30 years, residents' hands were tied in the face of this challenge. "We have no options; digging a well is not allowed," he said, pointing to a well project that the United Nations and World Bank rejected due to Israeli law prohibiting drilling in the area. The lands chosen for drilling sit in the West Bank's Area C, which covers over 60 per cent of the territory and is under full Israeli control. Israeli NGO B'Tselem reported in 2023 that the legal system led to sharp disparities in water access within the West Bank between Palestinians and Israelis. Whereas nearly all residents of Israel and Israeli settlements have running water every day, by contrast, only 36 per cent of West Bank Palestinians do, said the report.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
'No life without water': Israeli settler attacks threaten Palestinian communities in West Bank
KAFR MALIK: From his monitoring station on a remote hill in the occupied West Bank, water operator Subhil Olayan keeps watch over a lifeline for Palestinians, the Ein Samiyah spring. So when Israeli settlers recently attacked the system of wells, pumps and pipelines he oversees, he knew the stakes. "There is no life without water, of course", he said, following the attack which temporarily cut off the water supply to nearby villages. The spring, which feeds the pumping station, is the main or backup water source for some 110,000 people, according to the Palestinian company that manages it -- making it one of the most vital in the West Bank, where water is in chronic short supply. The attack is one of several recent incidents in which settlers have been accused of damaging, diverting or seizing control of Palestinian water sources. "The settlers came and the first thing they did was break the pipeline. And when the pipeline is broken, we automatically have to stop pumping" water to nearby villages, some of which exclusively rely on the Ein Samiyah spring. "The water just goes into the dirt, into the ground," Olayan told AFP, adding that workers immediately fixed the damage to resume water supply. Just two days after the latest attack, Israeli settlers -- some of them armed -- splashed in pools just below the spring, while Olayan monitored water pressure and cameras from a distance. His software showed normal pressure in the pipes pulling water from the wells and the large pipe carrying water up the hill to his village of Kafr Malik. But he said maintenance teams dared not venture down to the pumping station out of fear for their safety. Since the start of the war in Gaza, deadly settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have become commonplace. Last week, settlers beat a 20-year-old dual US citizen to death in the nearby village of Sinjil, prompting US ambassador Mike Huckabee to urge Israel to "aggressively investigate" the killing.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Health
- Express Tribune
Infant, 4-year-old child die of hunger in Gaza
Palestinian newborns share an incubator at Al-Helou hospital due to fuel crisis, according to medics, amid the Israeli military offensive, in Gaza City on July 10, 2025. — Reuters/Mahmoud Issa Listen to article A five-week-old infant and a four-year-old child have died of starvation in Gaza, according to hospital officials, as Israel's blockade on aid and fuel continues. Al-Shifa Hospital reported the death of the baby, while medical staff at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said four-year-old Razan Abu Zaher succumbed to complications from severe malnutrition. Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the hospital's director, told Al Jazeera that the infant, who was just 35 days old, died from malnutrition overnight. Another person also died of starvation at the hospital on the same night, he said. Gaza's Ministry of Health said that emergency rooms are overwhelmed, with a 'mass influx' of starving patients. According to the ministry, some 17,000 children are now suffering from severe malnutrition. 'How much longer until a ceasefire is reached so that bombs stop falling on emaciated and dying children?" In Gaza, time is running out for children caught up in the horrors of war.@UNRWA's @JulietteTouma shares some of their — United Nations (@UN) July 18, 2025 Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces have continued to fire on Palestinians gathering at aid distribution points, many of which are organised under United States-backed operations. Some have described these sites as 'death traps'. Israeli settlers have also attacked a major water system in the occupied West Bank, temporarily cutting off supply to thousands of Palestinians, AFP reports. Subhil Olayan, a water operator monitoring the Ein Samiyah spring from a hilltop station, said the attacks damaged pipelines and forced a temporary halt to pumping operations. 'There is no life without water, of course,' Olayan told AFP following the attack, which disrupted access to villages that rely on the spring as a main or backup source. Read: Israel strikes Gaza Catholic church, killing three The system of wells, pumps, and pipelines supplies water to around 110,000 people, according to the Palestinian company that manages the facility. Water scarcity is a chronic issue in the West Bank, and any disruption can have wide-reaching consequences. Israeli settlers swim in the Ein Samiyah spring near the village of Kafr Malik, in the Israel-occupied West Bank, on July 15, 2025. — AFP 'The settlers came and the first thing they did was break the pipeline. And when the pipeline is broken, we automatically have to stop pumping,' Olayan said. 'The water just goes into the dirt, into the ground,' he added, noting that repair teams acted quickly to resume service. Israeli forces killed at least six Palestinians and demolished several civilian homes in northern Gaza and Gaza City on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera reporters and Palestinian sources. The deaths were reported in the early hours of the morning during ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza City and areas to the north, local journalists said. Further details on the circumstances were not immediately available. Read more: Israel kills 32 near two aid centres in Gaza In a separate incident, the Israeli army carried out demolitions in the Shujayea neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, destroying a number of homes, Palestinian sources told Al Jazeera. Israel's war on Gaza The Israeli army has launched a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing at least 58,667 Palestinians, including 17,400 children. More than 139,974 people have been injured, and over 14,222 are missing and presumed dead. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. The proposed deal includes a pause in hostilities, increased humanitarian aid, and negotiations on the release of captives.
Al-Ahram Weekly
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
'No life without water': settler attacks threaten West Bank communities - War on Gaza
From his monitoring station on a remote hill in the occupied West Bank, water operator Subhil Olayan keeps watch over a lifeline for Palestinians, the Ein Samiyah spring. So when Israeli settlers recently attacked the system of wells, pumps and pipelines he oversees, he knew the stakes. "There is no life without water, of course", he said, following the attack which temporarily cut off the water supply to nearby villages. The spring, which feeds the pumping station, is the main or backup water source for some 110,000 people, according to the Palestinian company that manages it -- making it one of the most vital in the West Bank, where water is in chronic short supply. The attack is one of several recent incidents in which settlers have been accused of damaging, diverting or seizing control of Palestinian water sources. "The settlers came and the first thing they did was break the pipeline. And when the pipeline is broken, we automatically have to stop pumping" water to nearby villages, some of which exclusively rely on the Ein Samiyah spring. "The water just goes into the dirt, into the ground," Olayan told AFP, adding that workers immediately fixed the damage to resume water supply. Just two days after the latest attack, Israeli settlers -- some of them armed -- splashed in pools just below the spring, while Olayan monitored water pressure and cameras from a distance. His software showed normal pressure in the pipes pulling water from the wells and the large pipe carrying water up the hill to his village of Kafr Malik. But he said maintenance teams dared not venture down to the pumping station out of fear for their safety. Since the start of the war in Gaza, deadly settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have become commonplace. Last week, settlers beat a 20-year-old dual US citizen to death in the nearby village of Sinjil, prompting US ambassador Mike Huckabee to urge Israel to "aggressively investigate" the killing. Annexation Issa Qassis, chairman on the board of the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, which manages the Ein Samiyah spring, said he viewed the attacks as a tool for Israeli land grabs and annexation. "When you restrict water supply in certain areas, people simply move where water is available", he told AFP at a press conference. "So in a plan to move people to other lands, water is the best and fastest way", he said. Since the start of the war on Gaza, several Israeli politicians and officials have become increasingly vocal in support of annexing the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Most prominent among them is Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, who said in November that 2025 would be the year Israel applies its sovereignty over the Palestinian territory. Qassis accused Israel's government of supporting settler attacks such as the one on Ein Samiyah. The damage to Ein Samiyah's water facilities was not an isolated incident. In recent months, settlers in the nearby Jordan Valley took control of the Al-Auja spring by diverting its water from upstream, said Farhan Ghawanmeh, a representative of the Ras Ein Al Auja community. He said two other springs in the area had also recently been taken over. Water rights In Dura al-Qaraa, another West Bank village that uses the Ein Samiyah spring as a back-up water source, residents are also concerned about increasingly long droughts and the way Israel regulates their water rights. "For years now, no one has been planting because the water levels have decreased," said Rafeaa Qasim, a member of the village council, citing lower rainfall causing the land to be "basically abandoned". Qasim said that though water shortages in the village have existed for 30 years, residents' hands are tied in the face of this challenge. "We have no options; digging a well is not allowed", despite the presence of local water springs, he said, pointing to a well project that the UN and World Bank rejected due to Israeli law prohibiting drilling in the area. The lands chosen for drilling sit in the West Bank's Area C, which covers more than 60 percent of the territory and is under full Israeli control. Israeli NGO B'Tselem reported in 2023 that the legal system led to sharp disparities in water access within the West Bank between Palestinians and Israelis. Whereas nearly all residents of Israel and Israeli settlements have running water every day, only 36 percent of West Bank Palestinians do, the report said. In Dura al-Qaraa, Qasim fears for the future. "Each year, the water decreases and the crisis grows -- it's not getting better, it's getting worse." Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
