Thousands in Jabalya refugee camp stranded without water as rescue teams denied access for 5th day, UNRWA says

Water supply at the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza ran out entirely on Tuesday, according to the UN’s main agency in Gaza, as living conditions continue to deteriorate for the thousands of residents who have been trapped there by an ongoing Israeli military operation.

“Jabalya is under siege,” UNRWA said in a statement sent to CNN, adding that the “limited information” it has received from the ground indicates that families there are still “stranded in their homes with water and food running out.”

An Israeli military operation has been underway at Jabalya camp and the surrounding area for more than two weeks now and has killed over 400 Palestinians, according to Gaza Civil Defense.

Concern is also mounting for the many people trapped under the rubble with first responders “blocked from reaching them,” UNRWA said.

On Tuesday, Israeli authorities denied an “urgent request” by rescue teams from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to access those trapped under the rubble for a fifth consecutive day, the agency said.

“These delays are costing lives,” UNRWA said.

CNN has reached out to COGAT, the Israeli agency which controls the flow of aid into Gaza, for comment.

The Palestinian Civil Defense security service said that “dozens of bodies remain scattered in the streets of Jabalya” and tens of bodies were thought to remain under the rubble.