Israel’s manufactured water crisis in Gaza

Clean and safe water is essential for drinking, food preparation and basic hygiene, and a fundamental human right. But the Israeli military has stripped Palestinians in Gaza of that right.

Since the start of the ongoing genocide, the Israeli military has destroyed vital infrastructure and forcibly displaced almost two million Palestinians, around 90% of the population, leaving thousands of families without reliable access to safe water. As of July 2026, 90% of households in Gaza experienced water insecurity, and up to 70% of the population is unable to collect the recommended minimum of 15 litres of water per person per day.

Even before Israel’s genocide began, Gaza faced a severe water crisis. Around 97% of water from Gaza’s only aquifer was unfit for human consumption, making seawater desalination the most viable way to provide safe drinking water. But years of Israel’s illegal closure and blockade on Gaza have undermined the development and maintenance of infrastructure needed to treat and distribute water.

Without a regular supply of safe water, disease and infection spread rapidly through makeshift displacement sites, exacerbating an already critical health emergency.

How does Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) support the delivery of safe water?

Through our Water, Sanitation and Health (WASH) work, we supply clean water and sanitation services to thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians across Gaza.

This includes:

Delivery: Our team delivers clean drinking water daily to displacement sites across Gaza.
Distribution: We install and maintain filling points, as well as organising queues to ensure the safe and swift distribution of water.
Quality: Our teams test and monitor the water to make sure it is up to clean and safe standards.
Sanitation: We are constantly working to improve facilities, installing and maintaining temporary toilet blocks and medical points to help stop the spread of pests and diseases.

Life without water in Gaza

MAP aid workers describe what that means for families in the camps, from disease-carrying rats to surviving on a fraction of WHO's minimum daily water requirement.

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