Under the scorching sun in the Mawasi Khan Yunis area, hundreds of displaced people, including children and the elderly, line up in long queues awaiting the arrival of water tankers. 14-year-old Abdul Rahman Al-Najjar recounts how residents rush as soon as they hear the truck's sound to fill plastic gallons that barely suffice their families for one day. This arduous daily journey reflects a tragic reality lived by hundreds of thousands who have been forcibly displaced from their destroyed homes to tents lacking the most basic necessities of life.
Official statistics issued by government sources in Gaza indicate that the war has created an unprecedented water crisis, with over 90% of the population suffering from a lack of safe water. The occupation deliberately destroyed about 85% of water facilities and 75% of distribution networks, equivalent to 400,000 linear meters, in addition to targeting 700 wells and major desalination plants. This systematic destruction has transformed access to water from a basic right into a daily battle fraught with dangers.
On the health front, international medical sources have warned of the catastrophic repercussions of water scarcity on public health in displacement centers. The World Health Organization reported over 17,000 cases of diseases related to parasites and rodents, while 80% of displacement sites recorded skin infections such as scabies and lice. Field testimonies confirm that families are forced to severely economize on bathing and washing clothes, leading to a deterioration in general hygiene levels and the spread of epidemics.
For its part, Doctors Without Borders described the situation in Gaza as 'engineered scarcity,' asserting that Israel is using water as a weapon in a campaign of collective punishment. The organization explained that obstructing the access of vital supplies, such as water pumps, desalination materials, and chlorine, contributes to creating an ideal environment for the spread of deadly diseases. It also noted that one-third of its requests to introduce sanitation equipment were met with deliberate rejection by the occupation authorities.
The suffering is not limited to displaced persons in tents but extends to residents in partially damaged homes, where citizens are forced to carry heavy loads of water and climb exhausting stairs amid electricity outages. In light of this reality, the daily per capita share of water has fallen below 15 liters, a figure far below the minimum international standards for survival. This tragedy continues amid international silence regarding the targeting of those waiting for water, hundreds of whom have been martyred and wounded during their attempts to secure a drink of water for their families.
Water queues, food queues, bathroom queues... I never imagined we would live these harsh details for a sip of water.
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Weapon of Thirst: How Water Queues in Gaza Became an Arduous Journey for Survival?