Gaza is being slowly choked of life. As Israel’s unrelenting military assault enters its 19th month, over 2.3 million Palestinians face a deepening catastrophe: the collapse of water and sanitation services in the besieged enclave. The Palestinian Water Authority has sounded the alarm—Gaza is dying of thirst.

With infrastructure shattered by Israeli airstrikes, electricity cut, and fuel deliveries blocked, Gaza’s ability to provide safe drinking water has all but disappeared. According to recent assessments, water extraction has plummeted by up to 80%, leaving residents with just 3 to 5 litres of water per day—far below the emergency threshold set by the World Health Organization.

This crisis is no accident. The destruction of water wells, the contamination of groundwater, and the overflow of sewage into residential areas have created a public health nightmare. Families are forced to drink saltwater or rely on unsafe sources, risking disease in every drop.

Gaza’s authorities and international experts have condemned these acts as flagrant violations of international humanitarian law. Yet the silence of the global community remains deafening, even as Israel weaponises water—one of the most basic necessities of life.

The people of Gaza are not just enduring a war of bombs and bullets. They are enduring a war of deprivation, where thirst is used as a tool of collective punishment. And still, they resist, drawing strength not from what they have, but from the dignity they refuse to surrender.