Report on right to water and sanitation in Gaza

The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions has released a report entitled Hostage to Politics: The impact of sanctions and the blockade on the human right to water and sanitation in Gaza. The report is available at www.cohre.org. The report shows that sanctions imposed on the Gaza administration by both Israel and western states and Israel’s closure of Gaza’s border crossings has left more than 250,000 people without adequate water supply and the restrictions on fuel may leave 1.5 million people without water and sewage services.

The report shows that financial sanctions imposed on the Gaza administration have caused the near collapse of basic service provision in the water and waste-water sectors. The blockade has prevented the entry of essential materials required to operate and maintain water and sewage services as well as the entry of chemicals and filters necessary for water purification, putting the people of Gaza’s health at risk.  The sanctions imposed on the Gaza administration by both Israel and western states and Israel’s closure of Gaza’s border crossings have caused a humanitarian crisis which includes the widespread denial of economic, social and cultural rights.

The report includes a series of recommendations to Israel, the Gaza administration, the Government of President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad, donor States, the Arab League, the United Nations and to United Nations member States. The report urges the government of Israel to immediately lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip and allow the free flow of essential goods and equipment into Gaza. It further calls on Israel to cease its policy of restricting fuel supplies to Gaza and withdraw proposals to limit electricity. The report calls on all states to lift banking restrictions imposed on the Gaza administration in order to permit the funding of necessary public services and calls on donor countries and agencies to immediately resume funding in the water and waste water sectors to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe from occurring. The report also calls upon the Gaza administration to prevent any rocket attacks on civilian targets in Israel, which are also in violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, and cannot be justified under any circumstances.