Gaza's 2.1 million residents face a catastrophic water crisis as approximately 90% of the territory's water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged, according to a report released Tuesday by Doctors Without Borders, which accused Israel of "systemically depriving" people of water in what it called a "campaign of collective punishment" against Palestinians.
The medical humanitarian organization said it had documented the Israeli military shooting at clearly identified water trucks and destroying boreholes that were a lifeline for tens of thousands of people. Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency manager, said, "Israeli authorities know that without water life ends, yet they have deliberately and systematically obliterated water infrastructure in Gaza – while consistently blocking water-related supplies from entering." The group said the practices have far-reaching consequences for the health, hygiene and dignity of Gaza's 2.1 million people.
Competing Assessments of Water Access
COGAT, Israel's military body that coordinates aid to Gaza, rejected the accusations and said the water supply in the Gaza Strip "consistently exceeds humanitarian thresholds." However, estimates released this month by the European Union, the World Bank and the U.N. paint a dire picture, documenting widespread damage to sewage networks, pumping stations and power-dependent systems across Gaza. The reporting said the overall picture remained dire, even as some Israeli-backed projects offered limited hope.
The Doctors Without Borders report detailed extensive destruction to desalination plants, boreholes, pipelines and sewage systems throughout the territory. The scale of infrastructure damage has left the water system crumbling under war and continued military activity, according to the international assessments.
Healthcare System Faces Decade-Long Recovery
Rebuilding Gaza's healthcare system will require an estimated $10 billion over the next five years, according to a report published over the weekend by the World Health Organization. The WHO report said more than 1,800 healthcare facilities have been destroyed or damaged across the Strip, about 70% of medical equipment has been depleted and at least half of essential medicines are unavailable. The reporting said the scale of destruction and the financial and logistical challenge of recovery remain immense.
The combined collapse of water infrastructure and healthcare systems creates compounding public health risks for Gaza's entire population. Without functioning water and sanitation systems, the spread of waterborne diseases becomes inevitable, while the decimated healthcare infrastructure leaves medical professionals unable to respond to preventable illnesses and injuries.
Why This Matters:
Access to clean water is a fundamental human right recognized under international law, and the near-total destruction of Gaza's water infrastructure threatens the survival and dignity of 2.1 million people. The documented targeting of water trucks and boreholes raises serious questions about compliance with international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on objects indispensable to civilian survival. The $10 billion price tag for healthcare reconstruction alone—before accounting for water, housing, and other essential infrastructure—illustrates the generational impact of the conflict on Gaza's population and the massive international commitment that will be required for recovery. The convergence of water scarcity, healthcare collapse, and infrastructure destruction creates conditions for public health catastrophes that will disproportionately affect children, the elderly, and those with chronic medical conditions who depend on functioning public systems for survival.