UPDATE 2 - Supply cuts by Israel could leave Gaza without power, drinking water, warns UN

UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE, ADDS DETAILS; REVISES HEADLINE

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) – Supply cuts by Israel could leave the Gaza power plant without fuel within days and cause a severe shortage of drinking water for 610,000 people, the UN humanitarian agency warned on Tuesday.

"Israeli authorities have ceased supplying electricity to the Gaza Strip, reducing the hours of electricity to 3-4 hours per day. The Gaza Power Plant is currently the only source of power and could run out of fuel within days," Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told a UN press briefing in Geneva.

On the decision to cut the water supply, Laerke said: "This decision affects over 610,000 people in Gaza and will result in a severe shortage of drinking water."

He added that number of people displaced across the Gaza Strip has escalated "dramatically," reaching more than 187,500 since Saturday. Most are taking shelter in United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) schools, he said.

James Elder, spokesman for the UN Children’s Fund or UNICEF, also voiced concern about Israel’s decision to cut supplies.

"UNICEF is alarmed by the suspension of water and food supplies to Gaza," Elder said, reminding the parties of their obligations under international laws.

- WHO calls for humanitarian corridor

The World Health Organization (WHO), during the same briefing, called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to provide necessary health services.

"WHO is calling for an end to the violence. Health facilities, patients, health workers and civilians in general have to be protected and safeguarded," said WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic. "A humanitarian corridor is needed to reach people with critical medical supplies."

Jasarevic added that 13 attacks on the healthcare sector have been confirmed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the current escalation.

He also said that the WHO is reprograming $1 million to procure more urgently needed medical supplies to fill gaps.

- Rhetoric can stoke tension, violence

Responding to a question from Anadolu, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson warned that the language of incitement being used during the current tension between Israel and Hamas "could amount to incitement to hatred and to violence, which of course in this context is explosive."

Ravina Shamdasani said: "It is the responsibility of leaders to try to calm things down to try to deal with the situation with full respect for international humanitarian law and human rights law. Unfortunately, we have seen rhetoric that is doing the exact opposite."

"That is stoking tensions and stoking the violence," she said.

She said states have an obligation to prohibit propaganda for war and advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence.

On Monday, the UN Human Rights Council observed a moment of silence for the loss of innocent lives in the occupied Palestinian territories and elsewhere.

The moment of silence was observed by all the countries in the room after a speech by Pakistan's deputy permanent representative to the UN in Geneva.

"We request observing one minute of silence for the loss of innocent lives, including women, children, and the elderly. It is also an occasion to remember victims of decades of foreign occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory. I request you all stand for one minute to honor those victims," Zaman Mehdi said.

The Palestinian group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets and infiltrating Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and growing settler violence against Palestinians.

In retaliation, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 704, including 143 children and 105 women, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said early Tuesday. It said the number of wounded has risen to around 4,000.

At least 900 Israelis have been killed and over 2,600 others wounded in the fighting, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.