96% of Gaza's water is undrinkable, rights group warns

March 26, 2025 at 8:42 am.   Middle East Monitor

Some 96 per cent of the water in the Gaza Strip is undrinkable due to the complete collapse of infrastructure, the International Committee to Support the Rights of the Palestinian People (Hashd) warned yesterday.

In a policy paper, Hashd revealed an unprecedented humanitarian disaster resulting from the Israeli occupation’s deliberate destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure and the prevention of the entry of fuel and aid, depriving millions of Palestinians of clean, drinkable water.

According to the paper, titled “The Policy of Thirst in the Gaza Strip and the Repercussions of the Genocidal War on Water,” 96 per cent of the Strip’s water resources are unfit for human consumption according to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, subjecting the population to serious health risks.

The daily per capita water share has also decreased by 97 per cent, reaching only 3 to15 litres, compared to the global average of more than 100 litres per day.

The Israeli attacks on Gaza led to the near-total destruction of the water and sanitation infrastructure, with 88 per cent of water wells damaged.

The destruction of 100 per cent of the sewage treatment plants caused the spread of contaminated water into residential neighbourhoods, while the destruction of 496 desalination plants resulted in residents losing their primary source of potable water.

The paper explained that 655 kilometres of sewage networks were destroyed, leading to sewage overflowing into streets and homes. 70 per cent of sewage pumps are also out of service, causing a serious environmental and health disaster.

The paper asserted that the occupation is pursuing a systematic “fatal thirst policy” using water as a weapon to pressure and collectively punish the population by preventing the entry of the fuel needed to operate pumping and desalination plants, targeting and destroying water and sanitation facilities, and reducing water supplies purchased from Israel by 78 per cent, which further exacerbates the crisis.

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