Under the blazing midday sun, young Abdul Rahman al-Najjar stood in a long queue in a sandy area in front of a water distribution truck in the al-Mawasi district of Khan Younis, where his family had sought refuge. Like other children, men, and women who had gathered there, he placed water jugs in front of him, hoping to fill them enough to provide his family with drinking water for a day or two at most, given the immense suffering Gazan families endure in securing water.
In that area, the yellow sand that blankets al-Mawasi in Khan Younis reflected the sun's rays onto the faces of those waiting for water, while their bodies dripped with sweat from the intense heat. However, this did not deter them from completing their task, as everyone understood the dire need for this water.
Children in thirst queues
Most of those queuing came from nearby displacement camps, tent encampments erected by forcibly displaced people in the area, similar to other areas in Khan Younis and many other parts of the northern and central Gaza Strip, after their homes were destroyed or they were expelled from their former residences, which now lie beyond the "yellow line."
Fourteen-year-old Abdul Rahman told Al-Quds Al-Arabi, "We know the water truck is coming by its sound, and sometimes we see it right in front of the tents." He continued, "Everyone there quickly grabs their jerrycans and runs until they reach the truck."
This boy waited in line for more than 20 minutes, and he was among the first to arrive, leaving others in the long queue watching the truck and praying that the water wouldn't run out before he could get his share.
With great difficulty, young Ahmed Ghalouni carried two 20-liter water containers, leaving a smaller one with his seven-year-old brother, until they reached his family's tent, about 400 meters away. He then returned with his brother and the last container. This scene was repeated with other children, men, and elderly women, all struggling to carry containers of varying sizes to the displacement camps.
Gaza residents typically receive drinking water delivered by trucks carrying large tanks, either through donations from abroad or free of charge from aid organizations. However, securing water for domestic use is a significant challenge. At best, the limited quantities are distributed only once a week to each area or settlement, including areas of forced displacement, according to a schedule set by local authorities.
Shocking figures
From the very first day of the genocidal war launched by Israel on October 7, 2023, the water crisis in Gaza became acute. Drinking water and water for domestic use were no longer adequately available after Israel halted fuel supplies for operating wells and desalination plants, and then began its widespread destruction.
According to statistics released by the Government Media Office in Gaza, the war created an unprecedented water crisis in Gaza, with more than 90% of the population suffering from a lack of safe water. Approximately 85% of water facilities and 75% of distribution networks—around 400,000 linear meters—were destroyed, along with 700 wells and major desalination plants. Israel was accused of using both "thirst" and "starvation" as weapons to punish the people of Gaza during the war.
Upon returning to his tent after a long wait in line, Ibrahim Abu Hussein, a displaced person in the area whose home was destroyed during the war, as was the case in most parts of the Gaza Strip, said, "I never imagined this would happen to us."
Sweat poured from his body after waiting in the scorching sun. “There are queues for water, queues for food, and queues for the bathroom,” he added. The man, in his mid-forties, recalled the pre-war period when, like other Gaza residents, he had a constant supply of water stored in large tanks on the roof of his house. “Today, we store it in small quantities in gallons and cooking pots,” he said.
Speaking to Al-Quds Al-Arabi, he highlighted an even greater problem: the water available for daily use, such as washing, cleaning, and bathing. He explained that he obtains it from a more distant area, where water supplies only reach once a week. His containers are insufficient for his needs during that time, forcing him to ration his water. Despite his sweating, he said that today, after returning to his displacement tent, he wouldn't even be able to take a shower to wash away his exhaustion and perspiration.
In Gaza, due to the severe water crisis created by the war, following the massive destruction of infrastructure, wells, and desalination plants, the daily per capita share has dwindled to between 3 and 15 liters, a meager amount compared to international standards required for survival and publichealth.
Hundreds of civilians were killed during the war while searching for water, when Israeli aircraft bombed queues at water stations or distribution trucks. Dozens more perished from hunger and thirst. The most recent attack on those waiting for water occurred two weeks ago in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood east of Gaza City, when a truck was targeted, killing two brothers who worked in distribution on a contract with UNICEF.
Hind, known as Umm Mu'min, a woman in her early forties displaced with her family to the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, says she limits the amount of water her children have to bathe. Even during the hottest summer months, she only allows them to bathe once a day, whereas before the war, they bathed daily. During her interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, she pointed out that the water crisis has affected hygiene in general, whether it is bathing, washing clothes, or cleaning cooking utensils and food. She said: “The amount of water is what determines the nature of hygiene.”
She says that sometimes, when her husband or eldest son isn't home, she has to stand in line to get drinking water. During her conversation, she expressed doubt that the distributed water was safe for consumption, mentioning numerous cases of illness she and her family, especially the children, had suffered, including gastroenteritis and severe diarrhea. She also spoke about skin diseases prevalent among Gaza residents during the summer months, due to poor hygiene stemming primarily from infrequent bathing.
As she spoke, she lifted a piece of torn winter blanket, which she used as a makeshift cover for her tent, to reveal a water storage area consisting of several gallons, some of them empty. She said this amount should be enough for a family of five for four days. As evidence of this, the new World Health Organization representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, Dr. Reinhild van de Weert, stated that there were reports of more than 17,000 cases of rodent-borne or external parasite-related infections among displaced people in Gaza. She also reported that more than 80% of displacement sites had recorded skin infections such as scabies, lice, and bedbugs, noting that this is "a regrettable outcome when people are living in a collapsed living environment."
The situation was no different for the family of Jamal Saleh, 55. Despite living in a house in the Nuseirat camp that was partially destroyed during the war, he says that his suffering with water is even greater than that of the tent dwellers. His family has to carry water jugs to the fourth floor of their apartment building after filling them, a very strenuous task that has caused him back pain. This pain intensifies after the designated water distribution period for his area ends, following a considerable effort by him and his children.
The man exclaimed in disbelief, "Is it possible the world can't solve our crisis? Is it possible they're leaving Gaza to suffer from hunger and thirst?" He continued, "The days we don't die from Israeli missiles, we die from the anguish and illness caused by the war."
Water weapon
In a report titled “Water as a Weapon,” Doctors Without Borders (MSF) stated that Israel is deliberately depriving the people of Gaza of access to life-saving water, condemning what it described as a campaign of “collective punishment.” MSF asserted that the widespread destruction of Gaza’s civilian water infrastructure, coupled with the obstruction of access to it, constitutes “an integral part of Israel’s genocide.” The organization emphasized
that this “engineered scarcity” of water is occurring alongside “the killing of civilians, the destruction of health facilities, and the demolition of homes.” MSF cited a report by the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank confirming that Israel has destroyed or damaged approximately 90% of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure. The
report further stated that one-third of MSF’s requests for vital water and sanitation supplies, including desalination units, pumps, water tanks, insecticides, chlorine, and other water treatment chemicals, “were rejected or received no response.”
In the report, the organization's emergency director, Claire San Filippo, said that water deprivation, "coupled with catastrophic living conditions, severe overcrowding and a collapsed health system, creates an ideal environment for the spread of diseases."
