The water crisis in the Gaza Strip is escalating into one of the most serious consequences of the ongoing Israeli war, after airstrikes destroyed the basic infrastructure of water and sanitation networks in most areas of the Strip. As thousands of families return to their devastated neighborhoods, residents face severe thirst due to a near-total lack of potable water, forcing them to rely on limited and unsafe sources.
With no running water from taps, residents have resorted to buying water from mobile tankers or small desalination plants that barely operate on makeshift generators, at prices beyond the reach of most families who have lost their livelihoods.
In many neighborhoods, men, women, and children can be seen carrying plastic water containers, walking long distances through the rubble under the scorching sun, in a daily, arduous journey in search of a little water.
Families report receiving water only in small rations, enough for drinking and cooking, and unusable for hygiene or washing. The water crisis has turned into a daily nightmare reflecting the scale of the humanitarian collapse in Gaza, where the need for water is no longer just a basic requirement, but a struggle for survival waged by the residents of a thirsty city devastated by the siege and bombing.
