The ongoing Israeli shelling has severely damaged Gaza's water system.
According to a report published last month by Oxfam, all of Gaza's desalination plants, 88 percent of its wells, 70 percent of all sewage and key water quality testing laboratories have been damaged during the conflict.
The destruction of water supplies, obstruction of aid delivery and the disconnection of external water supplies has left Gaza residents with approximately 4.7 liters of water per person per day for all purposes, including drinking, cooking and bathing, it found.
According to the United Nations, this is less than a third of the recommended minimum amount for emergencies of at least 15 liters per day.
Last month, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat), the Israeli agency responsible for facilitating aid in Gaza, said a team had been set up to address the sanitation issues.
“The team is also exploring additional measures to improve sanitation in Gaza, including repairing wells, upgrading desalination plants and extending water pipes,” the report said.
Aid agencies have tried to restore infrastructure, install septic tanks and distribute clean water and chlorine tablets, but work in the Gaza Strip remains extremely difficult.
“The humanitarian aid we have been able to deliver so far, including water bottles, medical supplies and hygiene kits, is far from sufficient to address the scale of this crisis,” said Alison Griffin, Head of Conflict and Humanitarian Campaigns at Save the Children UK.