Gaza, March 12 (QNA) - The Israeli occupation forces stepped up their iron grip on the crossings in the Gaza Strip since the onset of the holy month of Ramadan, resulting in the blocking of access to all basic life-saving materials, thereby exacerbating the anguish of fasting Palestinians in refugee and displacement camps.

The Israeli occupation government intentionally cut off fuel and gas supplies, along with power to the Strip, triggering the tribulation of Gazans who returned to their arduous tasks, using wood for cooking and standing in long queues to receive water amid the dysfunction of most water wells due to the depletion of fuel required to operate them, or the power cuts resulting from Israel's decision to halt the supply of one of the lines designated for the desalination plant in the central Gaza Strip.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Director of the Deir El Balah municipality, Eng. Tarek Shaheen, warned that Gazans are braced for an environmental and healthy catastrophe, following the Israeli decision to cut off the remaining power supplies to the Gaza Strip, stressing that this move implies the complete disruptions of operations in Deir El Balah key water desalination plant, which cover 40% of the population needs in the central governorates, Khan Younis and Rafah from drinking water.

The disruption of electricity supplies has forced the plant to rely on diesel, which is insufficiently available, exacerbating the water crisis for Palestinians, especially during Ramadan, he warned.

He highlighted that the plant is the primary water source for southern Gaza's governorates and bringing its operations to a standstill will trigger the Palestinians to resort to contaminated water, fostering disease transmission and signaling an imminent environmental and health disaster, particularly in the overcrowded refugee and displacement centers.

Eng. Shaheen noted that the Municipality lacks fuel reserves, with previous allowances barely sufficient for daily operations. He urged international organizations to step up pressure on Israel to reverse its power cutoff decision and reopen all crossings to prevent an impending environmental and health crisis.

For his part, Media Director of the Gaza Electricity Company, Mohammed Thabit explained that Israel had supplied Gaza with 10 primary power lines, all of which were severed at the start of the aggression. He stressed that the continued reduction of power lines threatens a catastrophic health and environmental disaster, underscoring the urgent need for small generators to operate water wells in the devastated areas.

Thabit elucidated to QNA that 70% of Gaza's electricity distribution networks, 80% of its vehicles, and 90% of the company's warehouses were entirely devastated in the Israeli intentional assault, noting that while the company has a repair plan contingent on necessary equipment, no urgent supplies have been delivered despite the ceasefire.

He urged international intervention to avert the total collapse of Gaza’s sectors due to the ongoing Israeli-imposed power outage. 

Gaza's Government Media Office warned that the days ahead will bring further deterioration to the already dire humanitarian situation in terms of living conditions, health, and environment, with the return of the specter of famine, food and water insecurity, and the near-total collapse of the health system.

For his part, Director General of the Government Media Office, Ismail Al Thawabta told QNA that the consequences of the complete closure of the Gaza Strip, the prevention of crossing operations, the entry of essential materials and aid, and the power outage are abundantly clear during the month of Ramadan.

This has resulted in a severe shortage and a stifling water crisis for domestic use, along with an even greater crisis in drinking water due to the ban on fuel used to power wells and desalination plants, he said.

Al Thawabta stated that the essential food and supplies for citizens during Ramadan are beginning to run low in markets and stores, stressing that most charitable organizations, which have been a crucial lifeline for residents facing the Gaza Strip’s deteriorating economic conditions, have halted their operations due to the lack of food supplies, depriving thousands of families who relied on these organizations for daily sustenance of support.

Al Thawabta highlighted that the return of thousands of families to using firewood instead of cooking gas will only worsen the hardships Palestinians face during the holy month, further exacerbating the health and environmental crisis. With waste piling up and municipalities unable to remove it due to fuel shortages, the situation is rapidly deteriorating.

On Tuesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned of the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli occupation's continued prevention of aid entry, the suspension of electricity supplies, and the impact this has had on humanitarian services.

ICRC noted that the suspension of humanitarian aid, including the suspension of electricity supplies to Gaza's only desalination plant, threatens to plunge Gaza into a severe humanitarian emergency, and the effects are already beginning to appear in the form of rising prices and shortages of basic commodities.

The Israeli forces have waged a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, destroying the critical infrastructure, as well as public and community institutions, killing and injuring approximately 160,000 people, while approximately 11,000 others are trapped under the rubble.

On Jan. 19, a ceasefire and a hostages-and-prisoners exchange deal between Hamas and Israel came into effect through Qatari-Egyptian mediation supported by the United States. The first phase of the agreement concluded after 42 days, with Israel refusing to negotiate a second and third phase. (QNA)