Destroying Gaza’s treatment plants means water shortages for Israelis

JVL Introduction

In this article the writers describe the consequences of the destruction of water and sewage infrastructure in Gaza. Israel has been consolidating its control over water resources across the occupied territories for decades but this has worsened dramatically as part of the genocide. After three years of destruction Gazans are principally dependent on water truck aid. Each person has access to  one and a half litres of water per day with no guarantees of cleanliness compared to three hundred litres of treated water for Israelis, at least before the present cuts to supply. Sewage is all around the encampments, along with increased mosquito and rodent infestation. Diarrhoea is widespread. 15,000 cubic meters of wastewater and sewage seep into the aquifer each day.

Israel has not escaped the effects of its destruction. Rats have swarmed into Israeli homes and gardens close to the border. The raw sewage and nutrients that have poured into the Gazan sea have formed a 60-mile algae bloom drifting northwards along the coast of Israel, reducing the effectiveness of desalination plants and so cutting water supplies to Israelis and limiting crop irrigation.

(intro by Tony Booth, JVL Environment Officer)

Please note there are images in the original worth checking out.

This article was originally published by The Guardian on Thu 24 Sep 2026. Read the original here.