The Palestinian Water Authority and Environmental Quality Authority in Gaza warned on Sunday of an unprecedented water and environmental catastrophe in the enclave, citing widespread destruction caused by Israel’s war between October 2023 and October 2025.
In a statement marking World Water Day, the authority said "the reality in Gaza reflects a harsh paradox, as women and girls endure daily burdens lasting between six and eight hours to obtain water, depriving them of education, safety and health privacy, and reinforcing severe forms of discrimination".
It added that "the water and sanitation sector has seen around 85 percent of its facilities destroyed, with most wells and desalination plants out of service".
According to the authority, water production has dropped from around 300,000 cubic metres per day before the war to less than 120,000 cubic metres per day at the start of this year, representing a deficit of more than 60 percent.
Data cited in the statement shows that individuals in Gaza currently receive between 3 and 15 litres of water per day, most of it unfit for drinking.
Potable water availability does not exceed two litres per person per day, far below the minimum required in emergency situations and international standards.
The authority also warned that the destruction of 80 percent of the sewage system has led to wastewater flowing into the environment, with more than 25,000 unregulated soak pits posing a serious threat to the groundwater aquifer and increasing the risks of pollution and disease.
Recent technical reports estimate the cost of rehabilitating water and sanitation infrastructure at around $800 million.
The authority called on the international community to take immediate action to assist more than 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, including ensuring the entry of fuel and electricity generators and restarting the enclave’s only power plant.
It also urged allowing the entry of disinfectants, spare parts and equipment needed to repair damaged networks, and called for emergency solutions such as mobile desalination plants near displaced populations.
The authority further called for Gaza to be declared a "water disaster zone", and stressed that water is "a human right, and the continued deprivation of Gaza’s population, especially women and children, constitutes a crime against humanity that requires urgent action".