The Israeli government designated Gaza as ‘hostile territory’ on 9 September 2007 and announced that it would follow only the laws of armed con ict, not those of occupation, vis-à-vis the Gaza Strip.80 As a result of the extensive targeting of civilian infrastructures during these periods of conflict, we argue, the civilian population of the Gaza Strip has increasingly been treated as a collective casualty of armed conflict.
The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) reported that in July and August 2014, 63 water facilities in Gaza were damaged and 23 completely destroyed, resulting in a significant loss of access to water for the population.84 Likewise, the HRC found that the war had damaged sewage facilities, including 60 per cent of the treatment plants, 27 per cent of the pumping stations and 33,000 metres of water and wastewater networks, affecting nearly one million people
Consequently, the UN found that ‘access to safe drinking water in Gaza through the public water network plummeted from 98.3 per cent in 2000 to a mere 10.5 per cent in 2014, compared to almost 97 per cent in the West Bank’
Since then, Gazans have relied on purchasing water from tankers, and in containers and bottles. Dependence on these sources, all of which are more expensive, increased from 1.4 per cent to 89.6 per cent in 2017, the burden falling disproportionately on the most vulnerable and poor; moreover, the quality of water is unregulated and of questionable standard
Humanitarian efforts to augment water supply are hampered by restrictions imposed by Israel and Egypt on the import of materials to support the construction of desalination plants, as discussed in more detail below
In efforts to halt the sustained targeting of agriculture, water and energy infrastructures, Israeli and Palestinian human rights and civil rights groups have frequently invoked provisions of IHL and international human rights law that apply to occupying powers regarding the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure
The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) reported that in July and August 2014, 63 water facilities in Gaza were damaged and 23 completely destroyed, resulting in a significant loss of access to water for the population.84 Likewise, the HRC found that the war had damaged sewage facilities, including 60 per cent of the treatment plants, 27 per cent of the pumping stations and 33,000 metres of water and wastewater networks, affecting nearly one million people
Consequently, the UN found that ‘access to safe drinking water in Gaza through the public water network plummeted from 98.3 per cent in 2000 to a mere 10.5 per cent in 2014, compared to almost 97 per cent in the West Bank’
Since then, Gazans have relied on purchasing water from tankers, and in containers and bottles. Dependence on these sources, all of which are more expensive, increased from 1.4 per cent to 89.6 per cent in 2017, the burden falling disproportionately on the most vulnerable and poor; moreover, the quality of water is unregulated and of questionable standard
Humanitarian efforts to augment water supply are hampered by restrictions imposed by Israel and Egypt on the import of materials to support the construction of desalination plants, as discussed in more detail below
In efforts to halt the sustained targeting of agriculture, water and energy infrastructures, Israeli and Palestinian human rights and civil rights groups have frequently invoked provisions of IHL and international human rights law that apply to occupying powers regarding the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure