Gaza’s Water Crisis: How Targeted Attacks on Wells and Pipelines Are Exacerbating the Struggle”

In the Jabaliya refugee camp, families endure long hours under the scorching sun, queuing in front of water barrels, patiently waiting to fill their buckets and containers with water. Each precious drop is carefully rationed, as Gaza’s entire potable water infrastructure has been nearly decimated by Israel.

Bassam Abu Rokba, a disabled displaced resident of Jabaliya, expressed the dire situation, stating, “There is a severe shortage of water and food. Our children have succumbed to dehydration. We are unable to maintain personal hygiene or use sanitary facilities. Finding drinking water has become an insurmountable challenge.”

Israeli forces had entered Jabaliya several weeks ago, engaging in intense conflict before eventually withdrawing.

The head of the Jabaliya municipality revealed that Israeli strikes had previously destroyed 75% of the area’s water wells, leaving the community in a state of desperation. Hassan Adwan, while waiting for water, lamented, “Scarce aid reaching Gaza has resulted in an acute scarcity of both food and water. Our clothing remains soiled, and not a single water well remains functional.”

The United Nations has issued warnings about the heightened risk of diseases, such as cholera, in the enclave due to the lack of clean drinking water and inadequate sanitation, exacerbated by soaring summer temperatures.

Israel has faced accusations of intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure in Gaza as a tactic of warfare.