Gaza – July 30, 2025 — The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has deepened further as recent assessments reveal that 85% of the territory’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving much of the population without reliable access to clean drinking water.
According to aid organizations and local health officials, some Palestinians are now surviving on as little as one litre of water per day—well below the minimum international humanitarian standard of 15 litres per person. The widespread destruction, attributed to Israeli military operations, has crippled water treatment plants, pipelines, and sewage systems across the region.
“Families are being forced to drink unsafe water or go without altogether,” said one field health worker. “Children are suffering from dehydration and a growing number of waterborne illnesses, including diarrheal diseases and skin infections.”
Hospitals, already overwhelmed by war-related injuries and medical shortages, are now seeing a surge in cases linked to contaminated water and poor hygiene conditions. The lack of functioning sanitation systems has also led to the spread of disease in overcrowded shelters and displacement camps.
The United Nations and World Health Organization have issued urgent calls for immediate humanitarian access to restore critical infrastructure and provide emergency water supplies. They warn that the water crisis, combined with the ongoing food shortage and blocked aid corridors, is creating conditions for a full-scale public health disaster.
Israel maintains that its military actions target Hamas infrastructure and accuses the group of operating from civilian areas, but international observers have expressed growing concern over the scale of civilian infrastructure damage and its long-term impact.
As temperatures rise in the region’s peak summer months, the threat of mass dehydration and disease outbreaks looms large. Humanitarian agencies are calling for an urgent ceasefire to allow for the reconstruction of water and sanitation systems and the delivery of life-saving supplies.
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