"In the Gaza Strip, the population is at breaking point: in addition to the destruction caused by nine months of conflict, there is a severe food and water crisis. The near-total lack of potable water is creating an unprecedented hygiene and health emergency. People are forced to drink contaminated water, causing serious health damage. Waste and sewage accumulate everywhere, creating an unbearable environment and facilitating the spread of diseases. Additionally, finding food is becoming increasingly difficult, essential supplies have halved, and prices are skyrocketing. Many families go whole days without eating," warns Fondazione Cesvi, which has been on the ground with an emergency team working for months to support the population. "We are continuing our distributions and are currently delivering drinking water to central areas of the Strip, aiming to reach over 1,200 families," stated Cesvi's Deputy General Director, Roberto Vignola.

Since the escalation following the attacks on October 7, at least 50 percent of wells and desalination plants have been blocked or destroyed, and the fuel shortage has had a catastrophic impact on water supply: half of the remaining operational wells have stopped pumping water, while two desalination plants in central and southern Gaza ceased operations on June 30. Additionally, the Al Muntar water pipeline in Gaza City, one of the three pipelines from Israel, was shut down due to damage. This has reduced the availability of potable water to an average of 2.5 liters per person per day, compared to the 15 liters indicated by the WHO as the minimum standard for survival.

In this context, about 96 percent of the population (2.15 million people) suffers from acute food insecurity; of these, over 495,000 are in conditions of catastrophic food insecurity. Pregnant women and children are at the greatest risk: 346,000 children under 5 and 557,000 women suffer from high levels of food insecurity and urgently need food or supplements. "We are starving," says a resident of the Strip in line to fill a water canister from Cesvi's tanks, "we don't even have a bite of food or a sip of clean water. The situation here is disastrous because there is no potable water suitable for human consumption, we suffer from kidney problems due to polluted water, we are forced to drink seawater."

The accumulation of waste and sewage is further worsening the health situation, while the extreme heat wave and lack of clean water continue to facilitate the spread of infectious diseases. Over 10,000 cases of hepatitis A and 880,000 cases of respiratory diseases have already been reported. Additionally, the rate of diarrheal diseases is 25 times higher than before the conflict, with 485,000 cases and 90 percent of children under 5 suffering from one or more illnesses. "The situation is further aggravated by the water shortage: 4 out of 5 families in Gaza do not have access to safe water sources," continues Vignola. "In recent days, our operators have started distributing drinking water, already reaching 795 families (about 4,520 people) in the Deir el-Balah area. To assist most of the internally displaced, we are focusing our operations in the areas of Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis, in the center of the Strip, with the overall goal of distributing 50,000 liters of drinking water per day for at least 50 days, reaching 4 displaced communities."

The Foundation has been operating in the territory since 1994, allowing it to intervene quickly on the ground despite the difficulties in delivering humanitarian aid within the Strip. "We are providing assistance, with a particular focus on malnourished children and families without access to essential goods. In the past months, we have already distributed 18 tons of life-saving food and are organizing a second distribution of 7 tons of Plumpy'Nut (RUTF) to four clinics in central-southern Gaza to reach 800-900 children under 5 years old," Vignola continues. "For adults, we will distribute food packages to 12,600 displaced persons (2,100 families) in the Rafah and Deir al-Balah governorates, ensuring each person receives a minimum of 2,100 kcal per day to combat the risk of malnutrition. Additionally, we will deliver hygiene kits to 300-350 vulnerable families, including kits with sanitary pads and specific products for female hygiene, and contribute to the rehabilitation of sanitary facilities."

Cesvi's intervention can count on nearly 40 years of experience in combating malnutrition and hunger. The Foundation is active in various contexts, including the Horn of Africa and South Asia, with projects that use an integrated approach to eradicate the causes of hunger and poverty. (9colonne)