As temperatures soar to record highs, Gaza’s population of over two million is enduring an acute water crisis under the weight of a prolonged blockade and relentless bombardment. With infrastructure shattered and fuel barred from entry, clean water has become an unattainable luxury, forcing families to drink from contaminated wells or go without entirely.

The shutdown of Gaza’s main desalination plant and destruction of key water lines have left entire neighbourhoods dry. Authorities estimate that three-quarters of the territory’s wells have been obliterated by airstrikes, while UNICEF warns that just one in ten residents can now access potable water. Medical facilities are reporting spikes in kidney failure, poisoning, and waterborne diseases, with children and the elderly hardest hit.

In makeshift tents across Gaza, families ration the little water they find, often unable to cook or bathe. The crisis, though less visible than bombings, is quietly devastating lives, compounding hunger and displacement. Aid agencies stress that without immediate fuel deliveries and the protection of vital infrastructure, Gaza’s water system faces total collapse.

Human rights groups say this deliberate deprivation of water, alongside the destruction of civilian facilities, risks constituting grave breaches of international law. As desperation deepens, the call for urgent humanitarian access grows louder, but for many in Gaza, each day is now a fight simply to stay alive.