Weaponizing Thirst: Zionist Occupation Turns Water into a Tool of War

Hundreds of thousands of Gaza City residents have lost their main source of clean water in the past week following the Zionist occupation’s attacks on water systems and its obstruction of repair efforts, according to municipal authorities.

Many now have to walk, sometimes for miles, to get a small water fill after the occupation’s bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza City’s eastern Shejaia neighbourhood, in the north of the Strip, damaged the pipeline operated by the Zionist entity’s Mekorot.

“Since morning, I have been waiting for water,” said 42-year-old Gaza woman Faten Nassar. “There are no stations and no trucks coming. There is no water. The crossings are closed.”

It is noteworthy that the northern pipeline had been supplying 70% of Gaza City’s water since the occupation forces destroyed most of its wells.

“The situation is very difficult, and things are getting more complicated, especially when it comes to people’s daily lives and their daily water needs, whether for cleaning, disinfecting, and even cooking and drinking,” said Husni Mhana, the municipality’s spokesperson.

“We are now living in a real thirst crisis in Gaza City, and we could face a difficult reality in the coming days if the situation remains the same.”

Water for drinking, cooking, and washing has increasingly become a luxury for Gaza residents, who have become internally displaced by the occupation’s genocidal war on the besieged enclave.

On April 5, the occupation forces had already halted the flow of water from Mekorot to the Gaza Strip.

On March 22, a joint statement by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics and the Water Authority said more than 85% of water and sanitation facilities and assets in Gaza were completely or partially out of service.

Palestinian and United Nations officials said most of Gaza’s desalination plants were either damaged or had stopped operations because of the occupation’s power and fuel cuts.

“Due to the extensive damage incurred by the water and sanitation sector, water supply rates have declined to an average of 3-5 liters per person per day,” the statement said.

UN agencies estimate that 1.8 million people—over half of them children—urgently need water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance.

In July, an Oxfam report revealed that “Israel” has been systematically weaponizing water against Palestinians in Gaza. Through the cutting of external water supplies, the deliberate destruction of water facilities, and the obstruction of aid, the amount of water available in Gaza has been reduced by 94%, leaving residents with just 4.74 liters per person per day—less than a third of the emergency minimum recommended.

“The deliberate restriction of access to water is not a new tactic. The Israeli Government has been depriving Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza of safe and sufficient water for many years,” Oxfam Water and Sanitation Specialist Lama Abdul Samad said.

The report, titled Water War Crimes, also highlighted the dire impact of this extreme lack of clean water and sanitation on Palestinians’ health, with more than a quarter (26%) of Gaza’s population falling severely ill from easily preventable diseases.

“Tragically, this is yet more proof of the horrors being inflicted on the people of Gaza by the Israeli government, which is using starvation and, as this report shows, the systematic deprivation of water as a weapon of war,” Halima Begum, Oxfam’s GB chief executive, said in a statement, calling it a clear indication of violating international law.

“The impact on families in Gaza is unimaginable, from people being forced to drink polluted water to facing rivers of sewage in the streets. These appalling conditions are causing significant risk of dehydration and creating a breeding ground for the spread of disease…” she added.

According to Oxfam research, the occupation has destroyed or damaged at least five important water and sanitation infrastructure sites every three days since October 2023.

The occupation has also destroyed 100 percent of all wastewater treatment plants and 70 percent of all sewage pumps in Gaza and water quality testing labs in the enclave.

The water crisis has also led to the spread of polio among children, which may result in severe long-term effects on the brain and nervous system. In some cases, the disease can be life-threatening, with some cases experiencing paralysis.