By Abbas Nazil
A critical water reservoir in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, has become inaccessible following new displacement orders by Israeli authorities, prompting serious warnings from the United Nations about the potential collapse of the area’s water distribution network.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed that recent military directives have forced the evacuation of two neighborhoods, home to approximately 80,000 residents, effectively cutting off access to the Al Satar reservoir—one of the main sources of piped water in the city.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, speaking at a press briefing in New York on Wednesday, warned that damage or prolonged inaccessibility to the Al Satar facility could cripple the entire city’s water system and lead to devastating humanitarian consequences.
Gaza’s already fragile infrastructure is under enormous strain from months of displacement, fuel shortages, and limited access to essential supplies.
The situation has reached a critical point, according to the UN, with over 85 percent of Gaza’s territory now falling under displacement orders or being designated military zones.
This has severely restricted humanitarian access and left countless families without vital assistance.
Since the breakdown of a temporary ceasefire in March, more than 714,000 Palestinians have been newly displaced, with 29,000 fleeing their homes between Sunday and Monday alone.
Shelters are filled beyond capacity, and the lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene services is fueling a public health emergency.
Health officials report that acute watery diarrhoea is affecting nearly 39 percent of those seeking medical consultations, with Khan Younis and Gaza governorates among the worst affected.
The combination of overcrowding and limited access to clean water is accelerating the spread of disease, particularly among vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly.
Adding to the humanitarian catastrophe, no new shelter materials have been allowed into Gaza for over four months, despite ongoing waves of displacement.
According to UN partners, 97 percent of surveyed displacement sites reveal families sleeping in the open without protection from extreme weather, disease, or trauma.
Fuel shortages further threaten to paralyze humanitarian operations. On Wednesday, Israeli authorities denied a diesel shipment intended for northern Gaza, just a day after a limited delivery reached Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Without fuel, key humanitarian services—including medical care, logistics, and water pumping—face total shutdown.
Dujarric warned that if fuel supplies are not restored immediately, the entire humanitarian response may grind to a halt, putting aid workers and the population they serve in even greater danger.
“This would obviously endanger aid workers and escalate an already dire humanitarian crisis,” he stated.
The loss of access to the Al Satar reservoir and continued restrictions on movement and resources underscore the severity of the crisis unfolding in Gaza.
The United Nations continues to call for unimpeded humanitarian access, protection of civilian infrastructure, and urgent international action to avert further deterioration of conditions on the ground.