A ceasefire has enabled some of the displaced Gazans to come back to their ruins, but many are now confronted with an acute water crisis on top of the war’s tribulations.
Bassel Rajab, a 50-year-old farmer from Beit Lahiya, painted the desperate picture upon his return. “There are no wells, no pumps—nothing. We pitched tents to live in, but no water. We are suffering,” he explained. In an attempt to find clean water, Rajab will occasionally walk 16 kilometers to Gaza City just to shower.
Water shortages have increased as infrastructure lies in shambles. Most residents depend on improvised wells along the sea or polluted water from Gaza’s sole aquifer, which has been penetrated by seawater and sewage. The Palestinian Water Authority reports that 208 of 306 wells were taken out of commission during the war, and 39 others are partially operational.
Beit Lahiya mayor Alaa Al-Attar blamed Israel for preventing the entry of essential equipment needed to repair and drill wells. “We are trying to establish new wells, but we lack the necessary tools and generators,” he said. Meanwhile, Israel’s military branch coordinating humanitarian efforts, COGAT, stated that it has worked with international organizations to repair water lines, including in northern Gaza.
The conflict has left the Gazans with deprivations of water, food, fuel, and medicine. The violence began when Hamas-led militants fired on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 and capturing over 250 hostages. Retaliating, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health authorities say.
Citizens such as Youssef Kallab find it difficult to lift heavy water canisters to their rooftops, as the municipal supplies reach them only once every three days. Twelve-year-old Mohammed Al-Khatib pulls water in a cart for kilometers, and supermarket owner Mohammed Nassar, who has an illness, walks miles to fill up buckets. “We have no other choice, so we bear the pain,” he said.
