Al Mezan Issues New Fact Sheet on Gaza’s Deepening Water Crisis
Gaza, 30 April 2025 – Al Mezan has released a new fact sheet detailing the rapidly deteriorating water crisis in Gaza. As Israel’s nearly two-month sweeping blockade of Gaza and closure of all crossings continue, the collapse of the water and sanitation sector is not merely an imminent risk—it is the manifestation of a deliberately engineered humanitarian catastrophe, whose genocidal intent becomes more apparent with each passing day.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have destroyed approximately 70% of Gaza’s water infrastructure, including desalination plants, pipelines, and water wells, effectively dismantling Gaza’s capacity to supply its population with clean water. Furthermore, approximately 180 kilometers of water networks have been fully or partially destroyed. The scale and precision of this destruction reflect a systematic campaign aimed at obliterating the civilian infrastructure necessary for the survival of Gaza’s population.
The fact sheet focuses on the deliberate measures undertaken by the Israeli government since the reimposition of a total closure on Gaza on 2 March 2025. These include the complete cessation of delivery of humanitarian aid—including food, water, fuel, and medical supplies—alongside the targeted dismantling of critical water infrastructure. As a result, over two million Palestinians, including one million children, are being denied access to sufficient, safe drinking water.
Al Mezan’s fact sheet documents the calculated cutting of electricity to Gaza’s largest desalination facility, the severing of water pipelines operated by Mekorot (Israel’s national water company), and the continuing prohibition of fuel required to power water wells, sewage systems, and sanitation services by Israeli authorities. These actions have compounded an already dire situation, pushing Gaza’s population toward conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part—conduct that aligns with acts defined as genocide under the Genocide Convention.
The fact sheet also includes testimonies from affected civilians, reflecting the immense hardship and suffering they endure in securing even minimal amounts of water. Al Mezan warns that unless the international community takes immediate and concrete steps to end Israel’s blockade and closure of Gaza, full reopening of all crossings, restore humanitarian access, and ensure protection of vital civilian infrastructure, Gaza’s water distribution system will soon collapse. The organization cautions that without intervention, widespread death from dehydration and starvation is imminent.
The factsheet concludes with a list of recommendations addressed to states, international organizations, and UN bodies.
The fact sheet is available here
The fact sheet (PDF) is available here
To read the press release, please click, here
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Al Mezan Center for Human Rights is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental
human rights organization in the Gaza Strip, with Special Consultative status with the
United Nations Economic and Social Council. Since its establishment in 1999.
Al Mezan has been dedicated to protecting and advancing the respect of human rights,
and enhancing democracy, community and citizen participation in Palestine, particularly
in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights
5/1101 Al Mena – Omar El Mukhtar Street
Gaza City, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine
P.O. Box 5270
Telefax: +970 8 2820447 / 2820442
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