Three years of Gaza genocide: How Israel devastated water and power lifelines

In Gaza, getting enough water is no longer a routine part of daily life.

Instead, families must carry buckets, wait for water trucks and decide how much they can spare for drinking, cooking, bathing or washing clothes.

For children, it means spending hours helping their families collect water instead of going to school.

"Before the war, we did not have this struggle," Hanadi Al Aff told the International Committee of the Red Cross in June.

Al Aff, one of the many displaced Palestinians, lives with her five children opposite a rehabilitated desalination plant in Gaza City.

"We now carry water in buckets. It has become a burden on our children. Instead of going to school and studying, they carry water," she said.

Al Aff said her family did not have enough water for all their needs.

"We save water and keep it for the most important thing, which is drinking, cooking and bathing the children. If there is extra, we use it for washing the dishes and doing the laundry."

Three years after Israel began its genocidal war on Gaza in Oct 2023, the territory's water, sanitation and electricity systems remain severely damaged, leaving millions of Palestinians dependent on emergency measures and infrastructure operating far below its former capacity.

- Most households remain water insecure

According to a survey cited by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in September, 91% of households experienced moderate-to-high water insecurity.

Nearly one-third, 31% of households, had total water access below minimum humanitarian standards, while 57% fell below minimum standards specifically for drinking water.

Meanwhile, 88% households reported difficulties accessing safe and clean sanitation facilities.

The shortages are compounded by damage to the infrastructure on which Gaza's water supply depends.

Another report cited by the UN in September, showed that 88% of above-ground Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) assets and 76% of underground networks had been damaged.

Red Cross also said in June that water production in Gaza had fallen to around 40% of pre-October 2023 levels, while independent production from wells was less than a third of what it had been before the war.

Gaza's remaining water supply also remains vulnerable to disruptions.

According to a UN humanitarian situation report issued in late September, the three Mekorot water lines from Israel supplied about 40% below contracted quantities during the reporting period because marine algae affected desalination plants in Israel.

In Deir al-Balah, the Al Basa Desalination Plant was operating below capacity because of a brine-pumping failure and overuse of generators.

Humanitarian partners were working to increase groundwater production through wells to partially offset the shortfall.

In August, a UNICEF-supported water well and desalination facility in Deir al-Balah was also severely damaged by a strike, disrupting access to safe drinking water for more than 4,000 people, including about 2,000 children.

- Electricity remains critical missing link

The water crisis cannot be separated from Gaza's electricity shortage.

Wells, desalination plants and sewage pumping stations all require electricity to operate.

Yet September UN figures indicate that 90% of energy infrastructure, including the electricity distribution network and associated assets, has been destroyed.

With the electricity system largely unavailable, generators have become essential for keeping remaining water and sanitation infrastructure operating.

But generators themselves depend on fuel.

The Red Cross reported that Gaza has gone for more than two-and-a-half years without a regular electricity supply, leaving people dependent on generators.

Officials cited by the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine in June estimated that rebuilding the electricity system could take three to five years, even if reconstruction materials were allowed to enter immediately.

The work would require thousands of utility poles, hundreds of kilometers of power cables, transformers, heavy equipment and specialized machinery simply to restore basic services.

- Even available water not always safe

The question is not only how much water Palestinians can obtain, but whether it is safe to drink.

In August, health partners collected 938 water samples across Gaza and tested them at the seven water-quality monitoring laboratories that remain functional despite severe operational constraints.

More than 73% of the samples did not meet WHO-recommended free residual chlorine levels, while 18% showed microbiological contamination.

Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, the WHO representative in Palestine, said at a September press briefing that over 6,700 water samples had been tested between January and August.

Microbiological contamination nearly tripled during that period, rising from below 6% in January to more than 18% in August.

She said cases of acute watery diarrhea nearly doubled over the same period.

- Sanitation systems under severe strain

The deterioration of sanitation is closely linked to the water crisis.

Thirty-nine percent of assessed households reported solid waste accumulating around their shelters, while 36% observed sewage or sludge near where they were living.

The situation is particularly difficult in displacement sites, where families live in overcrowded and makeshift shelters.

Site safety audits covering about 230 displacement sites hosting at least 187,400 people reportedly found unsafe latrines, open pits, wastewater hazards and poor drainage in low-lying areas, alongside inadequate lighting and overcrowding.

The approaching rainy season adds another layer of danger.

Humanitarian agencies warn that damaged sewage and stormwater drainage systems will increase the risk of flooding and disease.

According to a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) survey, almost one in four people interviewed between May and August 2025 had experienced diarrhoea in the previous month.

Skin diseases accounted for nearly 18% of MSF primary healthcare consultations in 2025, while poor water and sanitation conditions have also contributed to the spread of scabies and lice.

The effects extend beyond physical health.

MSF said its mental health professionals observed high levels of distress linked to the struggle to obtain sufficient water and hygiene supplies, with children carrying heavy responsibilities.

"The inability to maintain hygiene has become a source of distress and undermined people's sense of dignity," it wrote.

- 'Water as a weapon'

"Israeli authorities have used access to water as a weapon against Palestinians, systematically depriving people in Gaza, Palestine, of water in a campaign of collective punishment," MSF said in April.

It noted that the "deliberate denial" of water from Palestinians was an integral part of Israel's genocide and was part of a "recurrent, systematic and cumulative pattern" rather than being isolated acts.

The organization stressed that the destruction and attacks on infrastructure, obstruction of humanitarian access through forced displacement and denial of movement, and the blocking or delay of essential supplies were the main mechanisms Israel's weaponization of WASH access.

MSF said it had documented several incidents involving the shooting at or destruction of its clearly identified water trucks and boreholes.

"Since 1 January 2026, all MSF requests for the entry of any supplies through the dedicated system, where approval is determined by the Israeli authorities, were denied," MSF said.

- What can be restored?

Some water infrastructure has been repaired and humanitarian partners continue to use alternative sources.

Yet restrictions on equipment, generators, spare parts, chlorine and other essential supplies, alongside fuel shortages, continue to threaten the operation of remaining systems.

UNICEF says 19.4% of its $746.8 million humanitarian funding requirement for the occupied Palestinian territory is allocated to water, sanitation and hygiene.

For Palestinians living through the crisis, recovery starts with what should never have become a struggle.

A tap that works. Water that is safe to drink. Functioning sanitation and reliable electricity.

And for children like those in Aff's family, it is the possibility of putting down the water bucket and picking up a schoolbook instead.