Terrible thirst hits Gaza with polluted aquifers and broken pipelines
Even as global attention has turned to starvation in Gaza, where after 22 months of a devastating Israeli military campaign a global hunger monitor says a famine scenario is unfolding, the water crisis is just as severe according to aid groups.
Though some water comes from small desalination units run by aid agencies, most is drawn from wells in a brackish aquifer that has been further polluted by sewage and chemicals seeping through the rubble, spreading diarrhea and hepatitis.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating aid in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, says it operates two water pipelines into the Gaza Strip providing millions of liters of water a day.
Palestinian water officials say these have not been working recently.
Israel stopped all water and electricity supply to Gaza early in the war but resumed some supply later though the pipeline network in the territory has been badly damaged.
Most water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed and pumps from the aquifer often rely on electricity from small generators—for which fuel is rarely available.
COGAT said the Israeli military has allowed coordination with aid organizations to bring in equipment to maintain water infrastructure throughout the conflict.
Moaz Mukhaimar, aged 23 and a university student before the war, said he has to walk about a kilometer, queuing for two hours, to fetch water. He often goes three times a day, dragging it back to the family tent over bumpy ground on a small metal handcart.
"How long will we have to stay like this?" he asked, pulling two larger canisters of very brackish water to use for cleaning and two smaller ones of cleaner water to drink.
His mother, Umm Moaz, 53, said the water he collects is needed for the extended family of 20 people living in their small group of tents in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
"The children keep coming and going and it is hot. They keep wanting to drink. Who knows if tomorrow we will be able to fill up again," she said.
Their struggle for water is replicated across the tiny, crowded territory where nearly everybody is living in temporary shelters or tents without sewage or hygiene facilities and not enough water to drink, cook and wash as disease spreads.
The United Nations says the minimum emergency level of water consumption per person is 15 liters a day for drinking, cooking, cleaning and washing. Average daily domestic consumption in Israel is 165 liters a day according to the government's Central Bureau of Statistics.
Bushra Khalidi, humanitarian policy lead for aid agency Oxfam in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories said the average consumption in Gaza now was 3-5 liters a day.
Oxfam said last week that preventable and treatable water-borne diseases were "ripping through Gaza," with reported rates increasing by almost 150% over the past three months.
???? Disease is ripping through Gaza as Israel continues to deliberately block aid. Oxfam reports a nearly 150% surge in preventable water-borne illnesses over the past three months.
Read the full story ???? https://t.co/qoERcEc1X7 #LetAidIn #CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/pIaxX8VOmK — Oxfam International (@Oxfam) July 24, 2025
Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and says it provides adequate aid for the territory's 2.3 million inhabitants.
Queues for water
"Water scarcity is definitely increasing very much each day and people are basically rationing between either they want to use water for drinking or they want to use a lot for hygiene," said Danish Malik, a global water and sanitation official for the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Merely queuing for water and carrying it now accounts for hours each day for many Gazans, often involving jostling with others for a place in the queue. Scuffles have sometimes broken out, Gazans say.
Collecting water is often the job of children as their parents seek out food or other necessities.
"The children have lost their childhood and become carriers of plastic containers, running behind water vehicles or going far into remote areas to fill them for their families," said Munther Salem, water resources head at the Gaza Water and Environment Quality Authority.
With water so hard to get, many people living near the beach wash in the sea.
A new water pipeline funded by the United Arab Emirates is planned, to serve 600,000 people in southern Gaza from a desalination plant in Egypt. But it could take several more weeks to be connected.
Much more is needed, aid agencies say. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said the long-term deprivations were becoming deadly. "Starvation and dehydration are no longer side effects of this conflict. They are very much frontline effects."
Oxfam's Khalidi said a ceasefire and unfettered access for aid agencies was needed to resolve the crisis.
"Otherwise we will see people dying from the most preventable diseases in Gaza—which is already happening before our eyes." — Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
4 days ago
- GMA Network
Terrible thirst hits Gaza with polluted aquifers and broken pipelines
GAZA/CAIRO — Weakened by hunger, many Gazans trek across a ruined landscape each day to haul all their drinking and washing water—a painful load that is still far below the levels needed to keep people healthy. Even as global attention has turned to starvation in Gaza, where after 22 months of a devastating Israeli military campaign a global hunger monitor says a famine scenario is unfolding, the water crisis is just as severe according to aid groups. Though some water comes from small desalination units run by aid agencies, most is drawn from wells in a brackish aquifer that has been further polluted by sewage and chemicals seeping through the rubble, spreading diarrhea and hepatitis. COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating aid in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, says it operates two water pipelines into the Gaza Strip providing millions of liters of water a day. Palestinian water officials say these have not been working recently. Israel stopped all water and electricity supply to Gaza early in the war but resumed some supply later though the pipeline network in the territory has been badly damaged. Most water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed and pumps from the aquifer often rely on electricity from small generators—for which fuel is rarely available. COGAT said the Israeli military has allowed coordination with aid organizations to bring in equipment to maintain water infrastructure throughout the conflict. Moaz Mukhaimar, aged 23 and a university student before the war, said he has to walk about a kilometer, queuing for two hours, to fetch water. He often goes three times a day, dragging it back to the family tent over bumpy ground on a small metal handcart. "How long will we have to stay like this?" he asked, pulling two larger canisters of very brackish water to use for cleaning and two smaller ones of cleaner water to drink. His mother, Umm Moaz, 53, said the water he collects is needed for the extended family of 20 people living in their small group of tents in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. "The children keep coming and going and it is hot. They keep wanting to drink. Who knows if tomorrow we will be able to fill up again," she said. Their struggle for water is replicated across the tiny, crowded territory where nearly everybody is living in temporary shelters or tents without sewage or hygiene facilities and not enough water to drink, cook and wash as disease spreads. The United Nations says the minimum emergency level of water consumption per person is 15 liters a day for drinking, cooking, cleaning and washing. Average daily domestic consumption in Israel is 165 liters a day according to the government's Central Bureau of Statistics. Bushra Khalidi, humanitarian policy lead for aid agency Oxfam in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories said the average consumption in Gaza now was 3-5 liters a day. Oxfam said last week that preventable and treatable water-borne diseases were "ripping through Gaza," with reported rates increasing by almost 150% over the past three months. ???? Disease is ripping through Gaza as Israel continues to deliberately block aid. Oxfam reports a nearly 150% surge in preventable water-borne illnesses over the past three months. Read the full story ???? #LetAidIn #CeasefireNow — Oxfam International (@Oxfam) July 24, 2025 Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and says it provides adequate aid for the territory's 2.3 million inhabitants. Queues for water "Water scarcity is definitely increasing very much each day and people are basically rationing between either they want to use water for drinking or they want to use a lot for hygiene," said Danish Malik, a global water and sanitation official for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Merely queuing for water and carrying it now accounts for hours each day for many Gazans, often involving jostling with others for a place in the queue. Scuffles have sometimes broken out, Gazans say. Collecting water is often the job of children as their parents seek out food or other necessities. "The children have lost their childhood and become carriers of plastic containers, running behind water vehicles or going far into remote areas to fill them for their families," said Munther Salem, water resources head at the Gaza Water and Environment Quality Authority. With water so hard to get, many people living near the beach wash in the sea. A new water pipeline funded by the United Arab Emirates is planned, to serve 600,000 people in southern Gaza from a desalination plant in Egypt. But it could take several more weeks to be connected. Much more is needed, aid agencies say. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said the long-term deprivations were becoming deadly. "Starvation and dehydration are no longer side effects of this conflict. They are very much frontline effects." Oxfam's Khalidi said a ceasefire and unfettered access for aid agencies was needed to resolve the crisis. "Otherwise we will see people dying from the most preventable diseases in Gaza—which is already happening before our eyes." — Reuters
GMA Network
5 days ago
- GMA Network
South Korea donates 2k MT rice to families affected by storms, Habagat
South Korea has donated 2,000 metric tons of rice to the Philippine government as part of relief efforts for the families that were affected by the Southwest Monsoon and the series of tropical cyclones that hit the country last month. Of the 2,000 metric tons of rice, 1,632 metric tons were allocated to DSWD's disaster response. The donations were made possible following the signing of the deed of donation between Gatchalian, South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-Hwa, and United Nations-World Food Programme Representative and Country Director Regis Chapman. 'We extend our sincerest appreciation to the ROK and the UN-WFP for your support and generous donation of 1,632 metric tons of rice to help those affected by the recent combined effects of the Southwest Monsoon and [tropical cyclones] Crising, Dante, and Emong. Thank you to our friends from the ROK and the WFP for your compassionate heart in extending resources for the benefit of individuals and families affected by disasters,' said DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian in a statement on Wednesday. The DSWD said that the 40,000 sacks of rice that were allocated to them would cover around 280,000 family food packs with 6 kilos of rice per pack. Last year, South Korea donated 4,000 metric tons of rice following the devastation of tropical cyclone Kristine. 'Rest assured that we will ensure our immediate and sustained provision of humanitarian assistance to the families affected and exert all efforts to distribute your donations to those in most need. Beyond words, we know that this is the best way to express our utmost gratitude for your generosity,' said Gatchalian. The DSWD said it has already distributed over 1.7 million boxes of family food packs as part of its disaster relief operations. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
07-07-2025
- GMA Network
Houthis claim first ship sinking this year in Red Sea attack
The Magic Seas cargo ship is docked at a port in Ampelakia, Salamis Island, Greece, August 9, 2022, in this file handout image. Nektarios Papadakis/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo DUBAI - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday that a cargo ship they struck with gunfire, rockets and explosive-laden remote-controlled boats had sunk in the Red Sea, after their first known attack on the high seas this year. The ship's Greek operator Stem Shipping told Reuters it had no independent verification. Reuters could also not immediately verify whether the ship had sunk. The Houthis claimed responsibility for Sunday's assault and said they had allowed the 19 crew members to disembark from the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Magic Seas. All crew were rescued by a passing merchant vessel and were expected to arrive in Djibouti later on Monday, Stem Shipping told Reuters. The United Arab Emirates said on Monday it had successfully rescued all 22 people aboard the Magic Seas after an AD Ports Group vessel, Safeen Prism, responded to a distress call from the commercial ship following an attack in the Red Sea. The Magic Seas was taking on water after the attack and remained at risk of sinking, the company's representative, Michael Bodouroglou, had said earlier. The ship had been carrying iron and fertilizer from China to Turkey. The attack ended half a year of calm in the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping routes, where Houthi attacks from the end of 2023 through late 2024 had disrupted shipping between Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal. The Houthis launched more than 100 attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait that links them, in what they described as solidarity with the Palestinians after war erupted in Gaza in 2023. But those attacks had halted this year, with the last known to have taken place in December. Israeli strikes Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement that the vessel was targeted on Sunday after naval forces issued warnings and calls that were ignored by the ship's crew. He said it was struck using two unmanned boats, five missiles and three drones. According to advisories from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations and British security firm Ambrey, which both monitor security incidents in the area, the vessel was first approached by eight small boats that opened fire and launched self-propelled grenades. Armed guards returned fire. It was later struck by four remote-controlled boats, or Unmanned Surface Vehicles, and targeted with missiles, Ambrey said. "Two of the USVs impacted the port side of the vessel, damaging the vessel's cargo," it said. UKMTO said the strikes triggered a fire onboard. Separately, the Israeli military said on Monday it had struck three Houthi-controlled ports. There was no indication that the Israeli strikes were linked to the attack at sea. During their campaign against shipping, Houthi attackers have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers. The campaign prompted global shipping firms to reroute vessels around the Horn of Africa, raising global shipping costs and times. The United States and its allies responded last year with air strikes. In June, tensions in the region escalated following a 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which Washington joined with US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. President Donald Trump had announced a halt to US strikes on the Houthis, saying the group had agreed to stop interfering with key shipping routes. —Reuters
