Partners continue to expand efforts to enhance water availability by operating more water points, including wells and small-scale desalination plants (56 vs. 38 in September), activating four desalination plants, and rehabilitating 40 water wells. Emergency maintenance by local municipal actors has further supported service continuity, with five wells restored by the Coastal Municipal Water Utility in January, and 12 main wells repaired by the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) in northern Gaza, including six in Jabalya. Debris removal to reopen roads continues despite shortages in heavy equipment.
Many people continue to rely on water trucking and emergency distributions. According to the WASH cluster, as of 11 February 2026, partners are delivering 19,969 cubic metres of drinking water per day across the Strip, through 126 distribution points in North Gaza, 728 in Gaza city, 453 in Deir al-Balah, and 839 in Khan Younis. Of 723 water-related appeals received by partners between early November and early February; 45 per cent were addressed, while the remainder are under review as partners mobilize resources based on capacity. Partner observations indicate that water shortages are particularly severe in high-density areas, such as Al Mawasi in Khan Younis.
The three Mekorot lines currently supply about 42 per cent of the water they used to provide prior to October 2023 and the flow is unreliable, the WASH Cluster reports. In mid-January, the Mekorot pipeline serving Gaza city, which reportedly supplied 70 per cent of the city’s needs, was damaged, significantly reducing people’s access to drinking water until repairs were completed in early February following coordination with Israeli authorities. Disrupted access to water is exacerbated by irregular fuel deliveries, as reported by the Union of Gaza Strip Municipalities, and shortages of spare parts and consumables needed for repairs.
According to WHO, analysis of 4,978 drinking and domestic water samples collected in 2025 across the Gaza Strip shows that over 77 per cent do not meet health standards. Microbiological contamination remains widespread, with approximately 16 per cent of samples contaminated with fecal coliforms and over eight per cent with E. coli. For drinking water specifically, over 67 per cent of the 4,978 samples did not meet health standards. Unsafe samples were most prevalent in Gaza city (83 per cent), Deir al-Balah (50.5 per cent), Khan Younis (54 per cent), North Gaza (85 per cent); there were no samples from Rafah. According to the Health Cluster, approximately 5,800 cases of acute jaundice syndrome (hepatitis A) were reported in 2025, with a marked increase observed in November and December 2025. In addition, over 496,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea were reported, of which about 47 per cent were among children under five. This represents a significant increase compared with over 206,000 cases reported in 2024, half among children.