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Days of Palestine
15-05-2025
- General
- Days of Palestine
Gaza's Daily Struggle for Water
As the war on Gaza stretches into its 20th month, even the most necessities—like water—have become a daily battle for survival. For Palestinians across the Strip, especially those displaced in makeshift camps, access to clean or even usable water is a constant struggle. Abu Aziz, a displaced man from Rafah now living in Deir al-Balah, describes the search for water as a war. 'We used to get water trucks regularly, especially during the ceasefire,' he said. 'But now, they barely show up.' Even Gazans who remain in their homes face the same crisis. Fuel shortages have forced municipalities to drastically cut water supply, especially since Israel sealed the Strip's crossings in early March 2025. But Gaza's water crisis didn't start with this war. Years of blockade, population growth, and underdeveloped infrastructure have devastated the water system. According to the Palestinian Water Authority, 97% of the groundwater was already undrinkable before the war began. Since October, the situation has deteriorated further. A UN report found that most desalination plants, wells, and water tanks have been destroyed, especially in Gaza's north and central areas. As a result, the average person survives on just 3 to 5 liters of water a day, far below the World Health Organization's emergency minimum of 15 liters. Oxfam reports a 94% drop in per capita water access. Wastewater is flooding residential areas, raising fears of disease outbreaks. The Palestinian Water Authority says 85% of Gaza's water infrastructure is now unusable and has urged the international community to intervene, calling for an end to the blockade, protection for water workers, and urgent delivery of supplies. For many in Gaza, getting water has become one more exhausting battle in a life filled with loss, fear, and survival. Shortlink for this post:
Saudi Gazette
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Gaza ‘dying of thirst' as water collapse deepens humanitarian crisis
GAZA — The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) on Saturday warned of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, declaring that water and sanitation systems have nearly collapsed amid Israel's ongoing offensive. The authority described the besieged enclave as 'a region dying of thirst,' accusing Israel of committing a 'grave and systematic war crime by using thirst and starvation as tools of genocide.' According to the PWA, water extraction in Gaza has declined by 70 to 80 percent since the war began. 'Current water consumption has dropped to an alarming 3–5 liters per person per day—far below the World Health Organization's emergency minimum of 15 liters,' it said. An Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (IRDNA) found that 85% of Gaza's water and sanitation facilities have suffered severe damage. The PWA added that power outages, fuel shortages, and military restrictions have paralyzed efforts to restore critical infrastructure. 'Wastewater systems are non-functional, resulting in the discharge of untreated sewage into residential areas and overflowing stormwater basins—posing grave public health threats,' it stated. With access to clean water dwindling, many Gazans are resorting to brackish agricultural wells, which the authority warned is leading to widespread exposure to waterborne PWA urged the international community to act immediately to stop what it called 'a deliberate and systematic campaign to exterminate the civilian population of Gaza through thirst, hunger, and disease.'Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, told Anadolu Agency earlier this week that cutting off water to civilians is akin to 'dropping a terrible silent bomb on them... silent but lethal.'Citing UNICEF data, Arrojo-Agudo noted that cases of diarrhea among children under five in Gaza surged from 40,000 to more than 70,000 in a single week in early resumed its military campaign in Gaza on March 18, breaking a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement reached on January 19. Since the war began in October 2023, more than 52,800 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed, according to health authorities in International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. — Agencies
Gulf Today
13-04-2025
- General
- Gulf Today
Gazans struggle to find clean water amid Israeli offensive
Hundreds of thousands of Gaza City residents have lost their main source of clean water in the past week after supplies from Israel's water utility were cut by the Israeli army's renewed offensive, municipal authorities in the territory said. Many now have to walk, sometimes for miles, to get a small water fill after the Israeli military's bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza City's eastern Shejaia neighbourhood, in the north of the Strip, damaged the pipeline operated by state-owned Mekorot. "Since morning, I have been waiting for water," said 42-year-old Gaza woman Faten Nassar. "There are no stations and no trucks coming. There is no water. The crossings are closed. God willing, the war will end safely and peacefully." Israel's military said in a statement it was in contact with the relevant organisations to coordinate the repair of what it called a malfunction of the northern pipeline as soon as possible. It said a second pipeline supplying southern Gaza was still operating, adding that the water supply system "is based on various water sources, including wells and local desalination facilities distributed throughout the Gaza Strip." Israel ordered Shejaia residents to evacuate last week as it launched an offensive that has seen several districts bombed. The northern pipeline had been supplying 70% of Gaza City's water since the destruction of most of its wells during the war, municipal authorities say. "The situation is very difficult and things are getting more complicated, especially when it comes to people's daily lives and their daily water needs, whether for cleaning, disinfecting, and even cooking and drinking," said Husni Mhana, the municipality's spokesperson. "We are now living in a real thirst crisis in Gaza City, and we could face a difficult reality in the coming days if the situation remains the same." Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people have become internally displaced by the war, with many making daily trips on foot to fill plastic containers with water from the few wells still functioning in remoter areas - and even these do not guarantee clean supplies. Water for drinking, cooking and washing has increasingly become a luxury for Gaza residents following the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. "I walk long distances. I get tired. I am old, I'm not young to walk around every day to get water," said 64-year-old Adel Al Hourani. The Gaza Strip's only natural source of water is the Coastal Aquifer Basin, which runs along the eastern Mediterranean coast from the northern Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, through Gaza and into Israel. But its salty tap water is severely depleted, with up to 97% deemed unfit for human consumption due to salinity, over-extraction and pollution. The Palestinian Water Authority stated that most of its wells had been rendered inoperable during the war. On March 22, a joint statement by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics and the Water Authority said more than 85% of water and sanitation facilities and assets in Gaza were completely or partially out of service. Palestinian and United Nations officials said most of Gaza's desalination plants were either damaged or had stopped operations because of Israel's power and fuel cuts. "Due to the extensive damage incurred by the water and sanitation sector, water supply rates have declined to an average of 3-5 litres per person per day," the statement said. That was far below the minimum 15 litres per person per day requirement for survival in emergencies, according to the World Health Organisation indicators, it added. Reuters
Observer
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Gazans return to ruins amid water shortage
A ceasefire has enabled some Gazans to go back to their ruined homes without fear of Israeli airstrikes, but they have returned to a severe water crisis. "We returned here and found no pumps, no wells. We did not find buildings or houses," said 50-year-old farmer Bassel Rajab, a resident of the northern town of Beit Lahiya. "We came and set up tents to shelter in, but there is no water. We don't have water, we are suffering." Drinking, cooking and washing are a luxury in Gaza, 16 months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. Rajab said he sometimes walks 16 km in the hope of taking a shower in Gaza City. Some Palestinians have dug wells in areas near the sea, or rely on salty tap water from Gaza's only aquifer, contaminated with seawater and sewage. The Palestinian Water Authority estimates that it will cost $2.7 billion to repair the water and sanitation sectors. Palestinians were already facing a severe water crisis as well as shortages of food, fuel and medicine before the wells were destroyed in the war. The Palestinian Water Authority said in a statement on its website that 208 out of 306 wells had been knocked out of service during the war and a further 39 were partially out of service. "There is a big shortage as the occupation (Israel) is preventing the entrance (into Gaza) of drills, excavators, machines, equipment and generators that are needed to operate wells and to dig them," said Beit Lahiya mayor Alaa Al Attar. Attar said small companies were trying to fix the wells but have very limited equipment, adding: "We are trying to establish new wells to mitigate the severity of the water crisis at this stage." Israel has denied blocking Israel has denied obstructing humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and COGAT, the branch of the Israeli military that manages humanitarian activities, has said it has coordinated water line repairs with international organisations, including one to the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people and seized more than 250 hostages when they attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive Israel launched in response in Gaza has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated much of the enclave. The Hamas-Israel ceasefire has been in force since January 19. Gazans hoping to one day rebuild are squeezed by shortages of water, food, medicines and fuel in Gaza, which was grappling with poverty and high unemployment even before the war erupted. Youssef Kallab, 35, says he has to carry heavy water containers to the roof of his home using a rope. The municipality supplies water every three days. "We do not have the strength to carry it up and down the stairs. We have children, we have elderly. They all want water," Kallab said as he lifted containers of water. Twelve-year-old Mohammed Al Khatib says he has to drag a cart for three-four km to get water. Mohammed Nassar, a 47-year-old Palestinian supermarket owner, said he has to walk for miles to fill buckets from a water pipe despite health problems and cartilage damage. "We turn a blind eye to the pain because we have to," he said. - AFP
Arab News
14-02-2025
- General
- Arab News
Gazans return to ruined homes and severe water shortage
BEIT LAHIYA: A ceasefire has enabled some Gazans to go back to their ruined homes without fear of Israeli airstrikes, but they have returned to a severe water crisis. 'We returned here and found no pumps, no wells. We did not find buildings or houses,' said 50-year-old farmer Bassel Rajab, a resident of the northern town of Beit Lahiya. 'We came and set up tents to shelter in, but there is no water. We don't have water. We are suffering.' Drinking, cooking, and washing are a luxury in Gaza, 16 months after the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Rajab said he sometimes walks 16 km, hoping to shower in Gaza City. Some Palestinians have dug wells in areas near the sea or rely on salty tap water from Gaza's only aquifer, contaminated with seawater and sewage. The Palestinian Water Authority estimates it will cost $2.7 billion to repair the water and sanitation sectors. Palestinians were already facing a severe water crisis as well as shortages of food, fuel, and medicine before the wells were destroyed in the war. The Palestinian Water Authority said in a statement on its website that 208 out of 306 wells had been knocked out of service during the war, and a further 39 were partially out of service. 'There is a big shortage as the occupation (Israel) is preventing the entrance (into Gaza) of drills, excavators, machines, equipment, and generators that are needed to operate wells and to dig them,' said Beit Lahiya Mayor Alaa Al-Attar. Attar said small companies were trying to fix the wells but had minimal equipment. He added: 'We are trying to establish new wells to mitigate the severity of the water crisis at this stage.' COGAT, the branch of the Israeli military that manages humanitarian activities, has said it has coordinated water line repairs with international organizations, including one to the northern Gaza Strip. The Hamas-Israel ceasefire has been in force since Jan. 19. Gazans hoping to one day rebuild are squeezed by shortages of water, food, medicines, and fuel in Gaza, which was grappling with poverty and high unemployment even before the war erupted. Youssef Kallab, 35, says he has to carry heavy water containers to the roof of his home using a rope. The municipality supplies water every three days. 'We do not have the strength to carry it up and down the stairs. We have children, we have elderly. They all want water,' Kallab said as he lifted water containers. Twelve-year-old Mohammed Al-Khatib says he has to drag a cart for 3-4 km to get water. Mohammed Nassar, a 47-year-old Palestinian supermarket owner, said he has to walk for miles to fill buckets from a water pipe despite health problems and cartilage damage. 'We turn a blind eye to the pain because we have to,' he said.
