Key facts
- Gaza faces a severe water and sanitation crisis, with over half the population receiving less than six litres of drinking water daily.
- Untreated sewage is contaminating the coastal aquifer, Gaza's only natural freshwater source.
- Health officials report high rates of respiratory infections, skin diseases, and diarrhoea linked to poor hygiene.
- Most of Gaza's water distribution network and desalination capacity have been damaged or destroyed.
- MSF data suggests daily water consumption has plummeted from 85 litres per person pre-war to 4.3 litres.
Gaza is grappling with a severe health crisis driven by the collapse of its water and sanitation systems, leaving residents struggling for basic necessities. Ibtisam Al-Helou, a mother of three, exemplifies this struggle, undertaking daily treks through destroyed neighbourhoods to find scarce fresh water, a task made more difficult by the rising midday temperatures.
Families are forced to queue for hours for limited water supplies, and many children are resorting to swimming in the polluted Mediterranean Sea to cool off, leading to widespread skin infections and allergies. Health officials warn that untreated sewage from hundreds of thousands of cesspits is contaminating Gaza's coastal aquifer, the territory's only natural source of fresh water. This contamination, coupled with a lack of clean water for hygiene, has led to a surge in illnesses, including acute respiratory infections, skin diseases, and diarrhoea.
According to U.N. assessments, over 1.3 million people in Gaza have access to less than six litres of drinking water per day, a stark contrast to the pre-war average of 85 litres. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports even lower figures, with most residents receiving only 4.3 litres daily. The operation to deliver water via trucks is fraught with difficulty, as vehicles must navigate through rubble-strewn routes to reach displaced populations.
Palestinian officials state that the crisis has damaged Gaza's water infrastructure, with fewer than 100 of the pre-war 320 water wells remaining operational and about 80% of the distribution network and desalination capacity destroyed. While the Israeli military claims it does not deliberately target essential infrastructure and that COGAT is working with international agencies to improve water supply, aid agencies emphasize that water trucks cannot replace a functioning public system. The ongoing crisis poses long-term environmental consequences for Gaza's water sources.