Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said that more than 60 water desalination plants in the Gaza Strip have been put out of service as a result of damage caused by Israel’s continuous bombing since 7 October 2023, asserting that Israel is “deliberately depriving the population of the necessities of life, foremost among them water.”

Israel: deliberately depriving Gaza of water

The organization explained that Israel has destroyed essential water infrastructure and prevented the import of materials needed for water treatment, noting that since June 2024, it has only been allowed to bring in one shipment out of 10 requests it has submitted. It also pointed out that Israel has repeatedly damaged two of the three main lines that transport water to Gaza, and that 70% of the water leaks as a result of the bombing that hit the pipeline network.

The organization confirmed that 86% of the Gaza Strip is subject to forced displacement orders, which prevent water trucks from reaching the population. It noted that the lack of clean water has led to the spread of disease, with its medical teams conducting more than 1,000 consultations per week last month for patients suffering from acute watery diarrhea, as well as the spread of skin diseases such as scabies due to the lack of water necessary for hygiene.

She added that Gaza relies mainly on desalination plants and water lines coming from Israel, but more than 60 of the 196 plants have stopped working completely or partially due to the bombing, while the occupation hinders repair operations by preventing maintenance teams from reaching the damaged sites or delaying the entry of necessary materials for months.

The organization noted that on March 9, 2025, the Israeli army cut the last power line supplying the central desalination plant south of Deir al-Balah, leading to the cessation of large quantities of drinking water production and exacerbating the suffocating water crisis. Israeli raids and the scope of the large-scale military operations forced the organization to close 137 water distribution points during 2025.

So it continues

In the same context, the Hebrew Broadcasting Authority reported that the Israeli government is considering reducing the amount of water allocated to northern Gaza, while since January 2025, the Mikrot company has cut off the last main source of water supply to the Gaza governorates.

The water crisis is part of a comprehensive war of extermination waged by Israel on Gaza since October 2023 with US support, including killing, starvation, destruction, and displacement, in defiance of international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice. This war has so far left more than 62,263 martyrs and 157,365 wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to more than 9,000 missing and hundreds of thousands displaced, while famine has claimed the lives of 273 people, including 112 children.

Featured image via the Canary