In the Gaza Strip, Ramadan is no longer solely associated with worship and gatherings around iftar tables. It now brings with it additional burdens that weigh heavily on residents, amidst a crippling water crisis plaguing large areas of the Strip. The Israeli war and the widespread destruction of infrastructure it caused have forced thousands of families into a daily struggle to secure one of the most basic necessities of life: water.
With the break of dawn, many residents begin their day carrying empty jerrycans in search of a water source, whether from limited-operation wells or from mobile tankers that reach some neighborhoods intermittently.
Water Queues
In a scene that has become all too familiar in the alleyways and around displacement camps, residents line up in long queues, waiting their turn to fill a few liters, barely enough for one day.
The crisis is not only about the scarcity of water, but also about access to it. With power outages lasting for extended periods and pumping networks and reservoirs damaged by bombing, the ability of municipalities and local institutions to operate wells or pump water to homes has become extremely limited.
In many areas, water no longer reaches through traditional networks, forcing residents to seek it through alternative means that are often expensive or cumbersome.
The crisis worsened significantly after the shutdown of the Israeli Mekorot water pipeline, a major source of water for the Gaza Strip.
With the loss of this source, the population has become heavily reliant on local wells, which are also suffering from fuel shortages and technical malfunctions, leading to a drastic reduction in available water.
This reality has directly impacted daily life in homes and displacement camps.
Preparing food, washing dishes, doing laundry, and even bathing have all become tasks requiring meticulous calculations of every drop of water consumed.
Many residents are forced to ration water as much as possible, allocating limited quantities for drinking and cooking, while postponing other needs or managing them through alternative methods.
