Nizar Ayash, mayor of Deir al-Balah, has revealed that Israel’s decision to cut electricity to Gaza’s central desalination plant has disrupted 70% of freshwater supplies in the southern and central Gaza Strip. The move, announced by Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen on Sunday, follows a nine-day ban on fuel and humanitarian aid entering the besieged enclave.  

The desalination plant, which produces 16,000 cubic meters of water daily, serves central and southern Gaza. However, backup generators were destroyed by Israeli attacks, and a severe diesel shortage has left the plant inoperable. Ayash warned that all desalination and water treatment plants in northern Gaza have also shut down, leaving the area without access to desalinated water.  

Israel’s earlier decision to halt operations of the Mekorot water lines, which supplied semi-fresh water to parts of Gaza, has further compounded the crisis. Ayash stressed that the shutdown of the desalination plant will drastically reduce water quantity and quality, worsening the humanitarian catastrophe and endangering lives.  

Salama Marouf, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, condemned the power cut as part of Israel’s genocidal campaign, urging the international community to act swiftly to lift the blockade and allow humanitarian aid.  

With Gaza’s infrastructure in near-total collapse after 15 months of relentless aggression, the water crisis highlights the deepening suffering of its 2.4 million residents, who now face an even greater struggle for survival.