Destruction of Desalination Plant Deepens Dire Drinking Water Crisis in Gaza

Zuhair al-Nasr struggles to find water for his family in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood. The 74-year-old walks through the area carrying two water containers, looking for somewhere to fill them, unsure where he will find drinking water for his family. For the past week, he says, he has barely been able to fill the containers, relying instead on a groundwater well rather than the desalinated water he used to depend on.

Only weeks ago, Zuhair did not have to search like this. A newly built desalination plant near the tents where he lives had brought clean drinking water to his area, with connected pipes allowing residents to access water around the clock. For about two months, the plant made managing life during Israel’s war on Gaza a little bit easier. Zuhair lives with his large family of 13 children and more than 20 grandchildren in a tent because his home in Beit Hanoon, north of Gaza City, was destroyed by Israel during the conflict. Securing water was a vital daily task made easier by the facility, which spared him from carrying water over long distances.

However, on August 24, Israel bombed the desalination plant. The strike destroyed the facility and damaged nearby displacement tents and residential structures. Without the plant, Zuhair and Palestinians across Sheikh Radwan have been forced to travel long distances for water once again. “We were comfortable,” Zuhair says. “We’re suffering now. The water is the lifeline of our life. For drinking, cooking, washing and bathing.”

When the plant was operating earlier this year, Zuhair noted that his neighbourhood had become cleaner and more lively. A steady source of clean water encouraged people to return and resettle the area, offering a rare sense of stability. Yet, that relief lasted only about two months before the destruction occurred. Zuhair remains bewildered by the targeting of the civilian water station, rejecting allegations that the site was used for anything other than supplying water.

Mohammed Mahmoud, 53, the owner of the now-destroyed desalination plant, states that the facility had operated for only two months before the attack. Serving as the primary desalination plant for much of Sheikh Radwan, it provided free desalinated water to 17 shelters and collective centres. Mahmoud estimates his losses at no less than $500,000, noting that the machinery and equipment alone cost about $250,000.

The destruction exacerbates a deepening drinking-water crisis across Gaza. A United Nations-cited survey from early July found that 90 percent of Gaza’s population experienced frequent disruptions in accessing safe water, a figure rising to 92 percent in Gaza City. By the end of July, about 75 percent of the population relied primarily on water trucks, with humanitarian partners delivering over 20,000 cubic metres daily. Despite this, UNICEF reported in August that up to 63 percent of people could not collect the minimum recommended six litres of water per person per day.

For residents like Nada Arouqi, a 36-year-old mother of four in the Mukhabrat area of northwest Gaza City, water trucks often arrive only twice a week or sometimes not at all. When a truck finally arrives, she fills six containers to sustain her family, though the shortage has also sparked concerns about water cleanliness after one of her children developed a water-related stomach illness. Her mother-in-law, 60-year-old Maryam Arouqi, faces severe physical tolls from carrying water repeatedly throughout the day, describing how her body and bones are collapsing under the strain of continuous physical labour to secure basic survival needs.