A Palestinian child waits next to a water tanker with empty jerrycans. File

Operation 'Chivalrous Knight 3' has laid the foundation for a project to repair the damaged water supply networks in Khan Younis, an initiative funded by the UAE in collaboration with Khan Younis Municipality and the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility.

A specialised company is executing the project, which will ensure the delivery of water to the governorate's residents, who face difficulties in accessing water supplies due to the collapse of infrastructure and the destruction of networks and wells in various areas.

The repair of the damaged water networks commenced following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Khan Younis Municipality.

The MoU aims to restore the destroyed main water wells, reservoirs, and networks to enable the municipality to serve residents and displaced families in the city by alleviating their struggles to access water to avoid health disasters.

Operation 'Chivalrous Knight 3' is seeking to supply water to all areas through humanitarian projects, especially densely populated regions that house large numbers of displaced persons, with the number reaching 900,000 in Khan Younis.

The funding covers the repair of water networks and helping the municipality supply water, in addition to an ongoing water distribution campaign, including tankers, serving various shelter centres, with the number of beneficiaries exceeding 70,000.

Khan Younis is suffering from water scarcity, following the total destruction of 25 wells and partial damage to 12 wells during the ongoing conflict in the city. The damage to the main networks has reached 70 per cent, posing a barrier to providing water supplies to thousands of Palestinian families in Khan Younis, amid increasing risks of epidemics and diseases.

WAM