Gaza City: The United Nations says approximately 800,000 people in Gaza do not have regular access to clean piped water, as nearly 50 per cent of the water network was damaged in the recent fighting.
Quoting Gaza’s public works and housing ministry, the UN’s office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said nearly 17,000 residential and commercial units have been damaged or destroyed in the 11-day campaign.
These include 769 housing and commercial units that have been rendered uninhabitable, at least 1,042 units in some 258 buildings which have been destroyed and another 14,538 units that have suffered minor damage.
A cease-fire took effect Friday after an 11-day campaign that left more than 250 dead the vast majority Palestinians and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The UN said 53 education facilities, six hospitals and 11 primary health care centres have been damaged since May 10. One health centre was severely damaged, the UN said, while one hospital is not operational because of lack of electricity. Schools in Gaza remain closed, affecting almost 600,000 children.