The Israeli authorities have announced that a desalination plant in the Gaza Strip is now connected to their electricity grid, with the aim of providing drinking water to the area and promoting hygiene and disease prevention. This move follows nearly nine months of military offensive and siege against the enclave, which has resulted in a humanitarian crisis.
Residents of Gaza have reported that work has started on restarting the desalination plant in the Saladin Road area, with hopes that it will be operational soon. However, Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has criticized this decision, arguing that it is being done before disarmament and especially focusing on hospitals, which he referred to as centers of terrorism. He urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rethink this strategy.
The Gaza Strip is currently facing a severe humanitarian crisis due to the military offensive and siege imposed by Israel after attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian factions. The situation has led to accusations of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity against Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other Israeli officials. The conflict has also led to calls for arrest warrants to be issued against top leaders of both Israel and Hamas by the International Criminal Court. Over 37,900 deaths have been reported in Gaza and more than 550 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem due to Israeli forces’ operations or attacks by settlers.
