Israel occupation forces claim water reservoir blown up without order from Southern Command

The Israel occupation forces claim that a drinking water reservoir in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip was blown up without permission from the Southern Command, Israeli media reported on Monday.

“The army is conducting an investigation into a suspected violation of international law, following the explosion at a drinking water reservoir in Rafah by a force operating in the area,” said Haaretz. Troops from the 401st Brigade of the Armoured Corps “blew up the central reservoir last week on the orders of the brigade commanders, but without receiving permission from the senior level of the Southern Command,” added the daily.

One of the soldiers involved posted a video of the explosion on social media with the caption “Destruction of the Tel Sultan water reservoir in honour of [the Sabbath],” noted Haaretz, which also reported that at the end of the initial investigation, a decision will be made on whether to open an investigation by the Military Police.

The reservoir is in the Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood, most of which was not evacuated by the army. “The neighbourhood in the north-west of Rafah is near the humanitarian areas that the army has defined as safe to stay in,” said the newspaper.

The Israeli military refused to comment, but military sources confirmed the details, Anadolu pointed out.

More than 39,300 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since October, mostly women and children, and over 90,800 have been wounded, according to local health authorities. Ten months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

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