As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues, residents are facing a catastrophic lack of access to clean water. The World Health Organization indicates that the minimum requirement for survival in emergencies is 15 liters per person per day. Yet current supplies for the average resident of Gaza City are less than half this crucial minimum standard. This catastrophic situation has been compounded by a six-week long military offensive that has scattered and displaced people and destroyed vital water infrastructure and resources.
Just last week, Israel announced the evacuation of Shejaia residents, as it ramped up military action in the area again. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of Gaza City inhabitants have lost their primary source of clean water after Israel’s water utility suspended supplies due to the offensive. According to the Palestinian authorities, more than 50,800 Palestinians have died during the intensifying violence.
That lack of transparency has led to widespread confusion among residents about how to obtain basic necessities. For 64-year-old Adel Al-Hourani, the constant, tiring pursuit of water is exhausting. I have to be able to walk long distances,” he stated. It’s just I run out of gas. I’m disabled; I can’t physically go out every day to collect water. His journey is becoming the reality for millions who are forced to travel greater distances to obtain their vanishing resources.
Faten Nassar, a 42-year-old woman from Gaza, echoed the sentiment of desperation: “Since morning, I have been waiting for water.” Her experience underscores the crisis, urgent and deadly. As a result, she and many others routinely spent hours at working wells, departing with too little water to cover their basic daily requirements.
The new war’s relentless bombing has made all but one of the dozens of wells around the area inoperable. This bleak reality was recently documented by the Palestinian Water Authority. The municipal spokesperson Husni Mhana could not understate the situation. It’s not getting any easier and that’s affecting the daily lives of Americans and their essential water needs in terms of cleaning, disinfecting, cooking and drinking.
The war has led to the internal displacement of nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. Over 30% of all trips taken each day are made entirely on foot. They have to transport plastic jugs to fill them at the only remaining functioning wells, often in isolated districts. Today, the Gaza Strip’s only natural water source—the Coastal Aquifer Basin—is on the brink of collapse. It extends the length of the eastern Mediterranean coast from northern Sinai in Egypt, across the Gaza Strip, into Israel.
According to recent evaluations, 97% of Gaza’s tap water is unfit for human consumption. This is a result of salinization, over-extraction, and contamination. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Palestinian Water Authority issued a joint statement. During a press briefing last week, their Director of Health Emergencies, Dr.
Israel’s military is already deeply engaged on the ground, and reportedly facilitating coordination with relevant humanitarian organizations. They’re trying to fix what they call a design flaw of the northern pipeline. This pipeline used to provide 70% of Gaza City’s water. Unfortunately, infrastructure for local wells was blown up during the conflict.
Even as this crisis deepens, people living in these neighborhoods still struggle every day with nearly impossible odds of finding clean water. The continued lack of the most basic materials threatens health and hygienic conditions throughout Gaza. It creates a day-to-day struggle for millions of families.