A/HRC/8/17 page 9 14. On 11 April, the Israeli defence forces and Palestinian Authority officials alleged that Hamas was seizing half of the quantity of fuel that Israel transfers weekly to the Strip for its military purposes.21 15. The activities of the United Nations agencies working in the Gaza Strip were also seriously hampered by the fuel shortage. In a joint statement issued on 15 April, United Nations agencies called for the cessation of all acts of violence, such as attacks on the Nahal Oz crossing, and for the immediate resumption of flow and distribution of fuel supplies. On 23 April, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ms. Angela Kane, in a briefing to the Security Council stated that UNRWA’s fuel supplies “will be exhausted on 24 April”, and unless petrol is allowed in, “UNRWA will discontinue its food assistance to 650,000 refugees as well as its garbage collection services benefiting 500,000 Gazans”.22 Impact on the enjoyment of human rights 16. During the reporting period, the above-mentioned restrictions on the movement of people and goods (notably fuel) had a negative effect on the Gaza Strip population’s enjoyment of a wide range of their human rights, particularly their economic, social and cultural rights, but also the rights to life, human dignity and freedom of movement. 17. In relation to the right to water, fuel shortages and the absence of spare parts and equipment continued to paralyse the water and sewage networks. Around 30 per cent of Gazan households had access to water for only a few hours every second day. The Gaza sewage system was forced to dump around 30,000-50,000 cubic metres of partially treated waste water and 20,000 cubic metres of raw sewage in the sea on a daily basis, compromising the enjoyment of the right to health and to an adequate standard of living.23 Some other 10,000-30,000 cubic metres of partially treated sewage ended up in the ground, in some cases reaching the aquifer, polluting Gaza’s already poor drinking water resources.24 18. Fuel shortages, unpaid wages and the lack of spare parts also caused the suspension of garbage collection for the 600,000 inhabitants of Gaza City since the beginning of April.25 Gaza produces 1,200 metric tons of solid waste per day. UNRWA collected 200 tons of solid waste per day and provided 53,850 litres of fuel in March to municipalities to assist in their rubbish collection. Nonetheless, garbage was piling up in the streets, creating additional risks for public health.26 21 Haaretz, 11 April 2008, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/974043.html. 22 Briefing to the Security Council on the situation of the Middle East, 23 April 2008. 23 IRIN/OCHA OPT: Gaza’s Sewage System in Crisis, 25 March 2008. 24 Ibid. 25 OCHA, Gaza Strip Inter-Agency Humanitarian Fact Sheet, March 2008. 26 Ibid.