Israel resumes operation of the second of three water pipelines in the Gaza Strip

Israel has reopened the second of three water pipelines that supply water to the Gaza Strip, allowing the territory to flow about 28.5 million liters per day. reports The Times of Israel with reference to the coordinator of the Israeli government’s activities in the territories (COGAT, a division of the Israeli Ministry of Defense).

The water supply, as noted, was reopened on October 28. Deliveries of 28.5 million liters per day cover just over half of the resources Gaza received before the outbreak of hostilities.

Israel cut off tap water supplies to the Gaza Strip on October 9 and reopened one of the southern pipelines with reduced flows last week, according to a COGAT spokesman. According to the coordinator, there is now enough water and food to meet the humanitarian needs of the residents of Gaza.

An unnamed senior COGAT official said hospitals in the Gaza Strip constituted “military operational infrastructure.” The Defense Ministry explained that Hamas supplies fuel to hospitals in the territory so that they can run on diesel generators. This is partly to keep hospitals busy, as militants are said to have built “command and control centers” underneath medical facilities.

Following the outbreak of hostilities between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel on October 7, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant ordered a complete blockade of Gaza. On October 8, the electricity supply was stopped, and on October 9, the water supply was interrupted. On October 11, the only power plant in the Gaza Strip also shut down due to fuel depletion.

On October 15, Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz announced that the authorities resumed supply of water to the Gaza Strip after agreeing on the issue with the United States.