Yahya al-Sarraj, Mayor of Gaza, called for the opening of all crossings into the Gaza Strip to allow the entry of urgently needed aid to the Strip’s residents, including housing, food, water, and heavy machinery needed to clear roads.
In a press conference on Tuesday, al-Sarraj emphasized “the need to provide shelter tents and temporary housing to protect children and women from the bitter cold, as we prepare for the onset of winter in a few weeks.”
Al-Sarraj said that water has been the top priority since the cessation of hostilities on Gaza, explaining that “the current amount of water available in the Gaza Strip only covers between 20% and 25% of the needs of the Strip’s population.”
Al-Sarraj added that “the occupation has destroyed approximately 90% of the water wells in the Strip,” noting that the water available for drinking in the Gaza Strip is “small in quantity and unsuitable in quality.”
He explained that “the focus is currently on desalinating seawater to meet the drinking water needs of the Gaza Strip’s population,” stressing that the water networks in the Gaza Strip are currently “dilapidated and deteriorating, with a water leakage rate of approximately 50%, increasing the need for necessary maintenance materials, such as pipes and cement.”
