Gaza's looming humanitarian crisis

A UN report says living conditions in the Gaza Strip have worsened since the territory was blockaded by Israel. It also predicts that its only source of water will be "irreversibly depleted" by 2020 unless immediate action is taken.

Palestinians fill bottles and buckets with water at a communal water tank at Al Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on July 16, 2017, as the power supply in the enclave is down to as little as two hours a day.
TRT World and Agencies

Palestinians fill bottles and buckets with water at a communal water tank at Al Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on July 16, 2017, as the power supply in the enclave is down to as little as two hours a day.

A recent report by the United Nations says living conditions in the Gaza Strip have worsened considerably in the 10 years since the territory was blockaded by Israel.

The findings also predict that Gaza's only source of water will be "irreversibly depleted" by 2020, unless immediate action is taken.

At the Palestinian Authority's request, Israel has reduced the transfer of electricity to Gaza in an attempt to exert pressure on its ruling party, Hamas.

But this has caused waste treatment systems to collapse.

As more untreated sewage seeps into the ground, environmentalists fear the risk of a disease outbreak.

TRT World's Staci Bivens reports.

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