Gaza's other deadly enemy that is rarely mentioned: thirst

The result of an Israeli attack on a building in Jabalia, in the north of the Gaza Strip, on 18 March 2025 - REUTERS/ MAHMOUD ISSA
Access to drinking water is almost impossible because of the war 

The alarming lack of drinking water in the Gaza Strip is a humanitarian crisis just as dangerous as the lack of access to food. Thousands of Palestinians face the scorching heat and the dangers of war to return to their families with some water, which is often salty or contaminated. 

Moaz Mukhaimar, a 23-year-old man, walks a kilometre every day and waits in line for two hours to fetch water, repeating the process up to three times a day to supply a small area with 20 refugees. 

In the war, more than 80% of the water distribution infrastructure has been destroyed by Israeli incursions. Gaza municipality spokesman Asem Al-Nabih claimed that the network that brings water from Mekorot has been out of service for two weeks. 

Access points to drinking water, such as wells, were destroyed or contaminated with sewage. Those that may still be intact are located in dangerous combat zones, near Israeli installations or in areas that have been evacuated. 

There are a few that are accessible, but electricity is needed to draw the water, a source of energy that was completely cut off by Israel during its military campaign. And the generators are already busy supplying power to hospitals. 

In theory, the Israeli pipes that supply water to the Strip, which were once shut off because of the war, are now working again. But water officials have said that not a single drop has come through. 

Al-Nabih has warned that more than 75% of central wells have been destroyed, as has 85% of public infrastructure. The streets and sewerage networks have been so badly damaged that millions of tonnes of waste have accumulated in the Strip. 

And, as is the case at food collection points, according to the Gaza Civil Defence, eight people were killed on 13 July by an Israeli attack while waiting for drinking water at the Nuiserat refugee camp. 

The water shortage is so alarming that Palestinians have been forced to consume contaminated water or salt water from Gaza's underground aquifer, which is too salty for consumption. 

Mohamed Deeb, a displaced person from western Gaza, said, ‘We know it's contaminated, but what can we do? Thirst is affecting my children and even adults.’ 

One desalination plant resumed operations last week, unlike the others, which remain shut down. And the United Arab Emirates has begun a project to build an aqueduct to supply 600,000 people in the Gaza Strip with drinking water from a desalination plant in Egypt to the Al-Mawasi area. 

But despite these efforts, they are not even reaching the minimum necessary for health. According to the aid agency Oxfam, Palestinians are consuming a maximum of 5 litres per day, which is equivalent to a third of the 15 litres recommended by the United Nations. 

And the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) had already been warning of the lack of water supply since June. ‘If fuel does not arrive, children will soon start dying of thirst,’ condemned UNICEF spokesman James Elder. 

‘Gaza is facing a man-made drought. The water systems are collapsing. As it is man-made, it can be stopped. There are no logistical or technical problems. It is a political problem and if there is the will, it can be solved overnight,’ Elder said at the time. 

The lack of drinking water is fuelling outbreaks of hepatitis A and B, meaning that the water crisis is exacerbating the health crisis in terms of disease outbreaks. 

UNICEF spokesperson Rosalia Poulin said that neither food nor water should be politicised. They are basic components of human survival and are now more necessary than ever in the Gaza Strip.