In Gaza, where survival has long depended on resilience, the people now face a new and terrifying threat: thirst. For the eleventh consecutive day, Israeli forces have blocked access to the critical Makrot water line, cutting off the main supply of water to the city and leaving hundreds of thousands on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

According to Gaza Municipality spokesperson Asim Al-Nabih, the damage to the water line cannot be repaired because Israeli forces are actively preventing municipal crews from reaching the site. This comes on top of the systematic destruction of over 75% of Gaza’s central municipal wells and more than 100,000 metres of water pipelines since the war began.

The result is a rapidly worsening crisis, with thousands of displaced families now crammed into the western parts of Gaza City and dependent on a water network that is collapsing. The Makrot line previously supplied more than 70% of the city’s water — without it, the system is buckling under pressure.

The municipality, with almost no equipment, spare parts, or fuel, is struggling to keep what little remains of the infrastructure running. Requests for urgent technical supplies have been made to international agencies, but nothing has been delivered so far.

Despite everything, the people of Gaza endure. But with every dry tap and every unanswered call for help, the message is clear: denying water is not collateral damage. It is a weapon. And it is being used to crush a population already brought to its knees.