Doctors Without Borders accused Israel of "systemically depriving" people in Gaza of water. The group characterized this as a "campaign of collective punishment" against Palestinians. These practices have far-reaching consequences for the health, hygiene, and dignity of Gaza’s 2.1 million people.
The group reported on Tuesday that Israel has destroyed or damaged about 90% of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure. This destruction includes desalination plants, boreholes, pipelines, and sewage systems.
Doctors Without Borders also documented the Israeli military shooting at clearly identified water trucks. The military was also documented destroying boreholes that were a lifeline for tens of thousands of people.
Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency manager, stated, "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."
Systematic Deprivation and Destruction
COGAT, Israel’s military body that coordinates aid to Gaza, rejected these accusations. COGAT stated that the water supply in the Gaza Strip "consistently exceeds humanitarian thresholds."
Beyond the water system, rebuilding Gaza’s healthcare system will require an estimated $10 billion over the next five years. This estimate comes from a report published over the weekend by the World Health Organization.
The WHO report detailed that more than 1,800 healthcare facilities have been destroyed or damaged across the Strip.
The report further indicated that approximately 70% of medical equipment has been depleted. At least half of essential medicines are unavailable.
The State's Role in Collective Punishment
Estimates released this month by the European Union, the World Bank, and the U.N. confirmed Gaza’s water system is crumbling under war and continued military activity.
These international reports cited widespread damage to sewage networks, pumping stations, and power-dependent systems. The reporting described the overall picture as dire.
Even as some Israeli-backed projects offered limited hope, the scale of destruction and the financial and logistical challenge of recovery remain immense. The systematic obliteration of infrastructure and the subsequent immense cost of rebuilding highlight the structural contradictions of the current economic order, where the basic necessities of life for a dispossessed population are sacrificed under military action.
The Immense Cost to the Dispossessed