Israel-Hamas war: Water is scarce in Gaza, and Blinken is back in Israel
Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are struggling to find clean, safe water — and some are drinking brackish water from wells, raising new health concerns in a region that's under siege from Israel, according to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
"Gaza is running dry," UNRWA said on Monday, as conditions deteriorate ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion. Electricity is also scarce: Israel shut off supply to Gaza's main grid five days ago, and fuel for generators is running low.
Israel mounted a full siege of Gaza last week after Palestinian militants killed at least 1,300 people in a surprise attack on Israel that also included hostage-taking. Since then, Israel has killed more than 2,700 Palestinians, mainly through airstrikes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed back in Israel on Monday after a visit last week, reiterating U.S. pledges of support for Israel — while also calling for aid and supplies to be allowed to enter Gaza.
Here's a rundown of where things stand right now:
Emergency water and fuel are blocked from Gaza
At Gaza's southern border, trucks loaded with fuel, water and other humanitarian supplies are waiting to cross over from Egypt into Rafah and bring some relief to the besieged area where more than 2 million Palestinians live.
The border closed on Tuesday because of Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza side. Israel says there's no cease-fire deal in place to open the crossing; the U.S. says it's working on it.
"Rafah will be open," Blinken said on Sunday, as he visited Egypt on his way to Israel.
"We're putting in place — with the United Nations, with Egypt, with Israel, with others — the mechanism by which to get the assistance in and to get it to the people who need it," he said.
One reason the U.S. wants the border to open is so that some 500 to 600 Americans, including those of Palestinian origin, and other foreign nationals, can leave Gaza. But Egypt says that if the border crossing opens for people to exit, it must also remain open to allow aid to reach Gazans from Egypt's side.
On Monday, Blinken met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to reiterate U.S. support for Israel's right to defend itself from Hamas' terrorism. He reaffirmed U.S. commitment to provide Israel with the assistance it needs to protect its citizens.
The U.S has already sent a warship to the eastern Mediterranean — a measure it says is aimed at deterrence. It has also sent to Israel "small diameter bombs" and is sending more ammunition and interceptor missiles for Israel's Iron Dome, which intercepts most Hamas rockets that are fired at Israel.
People are trying to flee northern Gaza
Israel has repeatedly told more than 1 million Palestinians to leave their homes in northern Gaza and head south, setting a mass evacuation in motion that lacks essential supports and has no clearly defined destination.
Israel says it will not stop its attacks until it has completely destroyed Hamas. "Every Hamas member is a dead man," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week.
The Israeli military dropped leaflets from the sky, telling people in northern Gaza to leave their homes. Many of the hundreds of thousands who did so traveled by foot, walking for miles. Mothers were seen carrying their babies as they headed south, with no guarantee of safety at the other end of their trek.
Those left behind included some of the roughly 9,000 people wounded in Israel's bombardment, as well as those who are disabled or elderly, or were simply unable to find transportation to take them out of the north.
The Israeli military says Hamas is "responsible for the humanitarian consequences" of the violence and chaos that followed last weekend's attack and the ensuing evacuation order.
Aid agencies portray dire circumstances in Gaza
In Gaza, a quarter of a million people have moved to shelters over the past 24 hours, according to the UNRWA, which says most of those people are seeking refuge in schools where "clean water has actually run out."
Most of its shelters in Gaza have run out of clean water, and others are on daily rations, the UNRWA said. Shops have run out of bottled water, and people's water tanks have emptied. Some families in Gaza are now drinking contaminated water.
The U.N. agency says 14 of its staff members are confirmed to have been killed, adding that the actual number is likely higher.
Doctors Without Borders says hospitals have also run out of painkillers. It says the wounded, many of them children, are left screaming in pain.
The U.N. humanitarian organization says hospitals only have a few hours' worth of fuel left for generators. The organization's chief, Martin Griffiths, says "the specter of death is hanging over Gaza."
People are also trying to flee from parts of Israel
In northern Israel, people who live within about a mile of the border with Lebanon are now under evacuation orders. The Israel Defense Forces say the residents will be moved into "state-funded guesthouses."
The evacuation order covers 28 communities, according to the IDF.
Americans who want to leave Israel are doing so on planes and boats, in a slow and uncertain process. The State Department says flights are leaving from Ben Gurion International Airport on Monday and Tuesday.
And on Sunday, U.S. nationals and their immediate relatives were told to report to the seaport in Haifa for a chance to board a U.S.-organized evacuation ship leaving Israel, bound for Crete. Crowds of people showed up, and officials reportedly told some to come back another time. [Copyright 2023 NPR]
