Gaza Strip — Families in Gaza are facing an escalating humanitarian crisis as clean water becomes increasingly scarce amid widespread infrastructure collapse, broken pipelines, and contaminated aquifers.
With nearly every part of the water system damaged or destroyed, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are left with little choice but to drink brackish or partially treated water — if they can find it at all. Many now walk long distances each day, jerry cans in hand, to reach overburdened water distribution points, often returning with just enough to meet the bare minimum needs of their families.
Children are increasingly seen bathing in the sea — not for recreation, but out of sheer necessity. “We haven’t had running water in weeks,” said one resident from northern Gaza. “We use sea water to wash because there’s no other option.”
Local officials and aid organisations warn that the water crisis is quickly evolving into a public health catastrophe. With sewage systems failing and desalination plants offline or destroyed, the risk of waterborne diseases is growing by the day.
Pollution of Gaza’s underground aquifer — the main natural water source — has rendered over 95% of its contents unfit for human consumption, according to longstanding UN reports. Years of blockade, war, and underinvestment have left Gaza’s infrastructure incapable of supporting its population, now pushed to the brink.
“This is not just a water crisis. It’s a collapse of human dignity,” a local aid worker noted.
Efforts to truck in clean water or repair damage have been hampered by continued restrictions and security risks. Meanwhile, residents endure each day with increasing uncertainty — not knowing when, or if, safe water will return.
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