Across Gaza and the West Bank, communities already living under extreme pressure are now facing the deliberate dismantling of their access to water. New findings from specialists in global water crises reveal that wells, pipelines, filtration units and basic distribution points have been repeatedly targeted through airstrikes, bulldozers, toxic contamination and even the use of animals as intimidation devices. Over the past five years alone, there have been hundreds of incidents damaging or destroying vital water infrastructure, with a surge documented since early 2024.

In Gaza, the destruction has pushed an already fragile system to collapse. Entire districts queue for hours to collect small amounts of unsafe water as filtration units and solar-powered desalination stations are reduced to rubble. Health workers warn that dehydration and waterborne diseases are spreading rapidly, particularly among children, as more than ninety per cent of the territory’s water and sanitation facilities have been wiped out or made unreachable. Residents moving towards remaining water points have been repeatedly shot at, and attacks on civilian areas have eliminated wells, latrines and recent humanitarian installations that once offered a minimal lifeline.

Similar patterns extend to parts of the West Bank, where underground networks and irrigation lines have been torn up, leaving villages unable to sustain their crops or secure drinking water. Entire communities report seeing their access narrowed by roadblocks, armed patrols and the tightening control of local springs. Experts argue that denying water on this scale is neither incidental nor random; it forms part of a broader strategy designed to uproot, exhaust and isolate the population while expanding control over the land.

Human rights specialists state that using thirst as a tool of domination constitutes a grave breach of international law, noting that the engineered collapse of water infrastructure in Gaza contributes to conditions consistent with genocidal intent. More than a thousand Palestinians have been killed while attempting to reach food or water distribution points, illustrating the lethal environment that surrounds even the most basic act of survival. As long as water networks remain destroyed and access continues to be obstructed, the humanitarian disaster will deepen, leaving millions at the mercy of a system built to deny them the essentials of life.