‘Full-blown crisis’: Gaza municipality warns as Israel cuts 70% of water supply

Gaza municipality has warned of a “full-blown crisis” after the Israeli military on Saturday halted the flow of water to the narrow Strip, effectively cutting off 70% of the territory’s total water supply.

According to Gaza municipality spokesperson Hosni Mehanna, the Israeli military had halted the flow of water from Israeli company Mekorot to the Gaza Strip, affecting the main pipeline to the Shujaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, where Israeli forces have been conducting military offensives since Thursday.

“The reasons behind the interruption remain unclear, but we are coordinating with international organizations to inspect whether the pipeline was damaged due to the heavy Israeli bombardment in the area,” Mehanna told Anadolu.

He added that the water cut may have either been caused by direct military activity or may have stemmed from a deliberate political decision by Israeli authorities.

“Regardless of the cause, the consequences are dire. If the flow of water from Mekorot is not restored soon, Gaza will face a full-blown water crisis,” Mehanna warned.

Beset by a chronic shortage of clean water due to years of blockade, infrastructure collapse, and contamination of groundwater by the Israeli occupation, the Gaza Strip is currently facing the risk of widespread dehydration as humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate.

Amid a dire humanitarian situation caused by an 18-month-long genocidal war, the Gaza Strip is facing the compounding threat of widespread dehydration due to a severe clean water shortage.

Years of blockade, infrastructure collapse, and contamination of groundwater caused by the Israeli occupation have alreday crippled Gaza’s water resources, exacerbating the risks to public health.

'War crime': Israeli strike destroys water desalination plant in Gaza

The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has announced that the Israeli regime continues to deprive over two million people of water, food, and medicine in a declared war of starvation targeting civilians.

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas confirmed that a water desalination plant in the al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City had been targeted early on Friday. 

The destruction of the water desalination plant is a “documented war crime aimed at tightening the noose of siege and hardship on innocent civilians,” the resistance movement said in a statement. 

Last month, Israel also cut off the limited electricity supply to the main desalination plant in central Gaza, while days later, the second largest plant in the Strip shut down due to a fuel shortage.

Israel has destroyed 719 water wells and put them out of service across the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

The Israeli military launched a surprise aerial assault on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing over 1,200 people, injuring more than 3,000 others, and shattering the 2-month ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, more than 50,600 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 115,063 other individuals have been injured in the brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

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