We are imposing a complete siege on Gaza; there will be no electricity, no food, no water, and no fuel. Everything will be closed off to them," declared Yoav Gallant, the War Minister of Israel, shortly after the brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip began. This aggression has now lasted more than nine months. A brief look at the current situation in Gaza shows that Israel has followed through on Gallant’s declaration. The deliberate deprivation of water over the course of the Gaza conflict is just one aspect of this inhumane and criminal approach. As a result, residents of Gaza — from children to the elderly — are forced to walk long distances on foot in hopes of finding a small amount of clean water, which is still insufficient to meet their needs.
Israel's water siege: A new weapon of massacre against Palestinians
Since the onset of the war in October 2023, Israel has been determined to cut off all water supply lines in the Gaza Strip — a deliberate policy aimed at harming innocent civilians. The severity of this water crisis is so evident that even Israeli media acknowledge it. The Israeli publication +972 published a report titled "In Gaza, Israel has turned water into a weapon of mass destruction," stating: "By depriving Palestinians in Gaza of clean water, Israel has, since the start of the war, caused an unprecedented crisis. Israel adopted this action as a primary tactic to advance its goals from the beginning of the conflict."
Since the war began, many of Gaza's water infrastructure and sewage facilities have been deliberately targeted by Israeli airstrikes. The power cuts and the prevention of fuel deliveries to Gaza have also led to the shutdown of desalination plants. These actions have plunged Gaza, already suffering from water shortages before the war, into an unprecedented crisis. The daily struggle to obtain a glass of clean water has become a part of life for the oppressed Palestinians. People cannot access large quantities of water, and the small amount they do obtain after standing in long lines is primarily used for children's essential needs.
Alaa Hamid, a Palestinian woman residing in one of the refugee centers in western Gaza City, describes the struggle for clean water: "The reality is that I can't get water for all my family members. I can only get a small amount for the children. The adults have to use unsafe water. We know that this is risky and has uncertain consequences, but we have no other option for survival." Another Palestinian woman, Ameneh Al-Hartani, who is frustrated by the severe water shortage in Gaza, says: "Every day, we chase water tanker trucks from one street to another, but the water is not clean. The water issue is one of the biggest crises we face. Obtaining clean drinking water is extremely challenging for us."
Turning to sea water and facing unknown diseases
The deliberate destruction of water wells and sewage facilities in Gaza has forced its residents to rely on sea water. This has become their only escape from the severe water shortage crisis. Refugees, in particular, face great difficulty and hardship in accessing even a single gallon of water. However, turning to sea water has had serious consequences, especially for women and children, many of whom have developed unknown skin diseases from consuming it.
Akram Sultan, one of the thousands of refugees in Gaza affected by the water crisis, says, "We are suffering from the worst humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while the occupiers continue to deliberately create crises for civilians. Sea water has become the only solution for refugees to escape the water crisis. Many refugees set up their tents near the sea to access sea water. We are no exception." However, as mentioned earlier, using sea water has had severe consequences for Gaza's residents. Saed Mahmoud, a Palestinian doctor working at a small medical center in Gaza, says, "We are seeing an increasing trend of skin diseases among Palestinian refugees in Gaza. Our research shows that the lack of sufficient water for personal hygiene, not being able to bathe, and the repeated use of salty and polluted sea water are the main factors causing dangerous skin diseases among Palestinians."
The “Water War:” Israel's tactic for continuing genocide in Gaza
It has become evident that Israel is using the "water war" as one of its main tactics to continue the genocide in Gaza. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has confirmed this harsh reality, noting that the Zionists have deliberately taken this approach. As a result, even if the oppressed people of Gaza survive by consuming contaminated water, they will still face various dangerous skin, kidney, and respiratory diseases. They are destined for a harsh life in the future, plagued by unknown diseases, a situation already occurring now.
