ISRAEL

haaretzdaily: Danger: Rafah's fresh water wells by amira hass

Considering the thoroughness with which the bulldozers worked early last Thursday morning, one might have thought the soldiers received a clear order from their commanders and knew exactly what they were doing: demolishing the foundations of the pumping station for two water wells that provide nearly 50 percent of drinking and household water to Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

Raids on the houses of Rafah, particularly in its refugee camps, and the wounding of residents from IDF fire, has become so routine, so un-newsworthy, that it usually does not get reported in the Israeli media, which does, however, generally report on the number of Palestinians killed in those operations.

Now the 130,000 residents of Rafah are on strict water rationing, with water flowing into the neighborhoods only a few hours, and only every few days. People spend precious hours filling up jerricans straight from the working wells, or from agricultural wells with water unfit for human consumption. The rationing will continue until the money is found to get new pumping equipment and install it.