Every few days, displaced families in Gaza wait anxiously for the sound of a water tanker approaching their camp. Increasingly, that sound does not come.
For thousands of families living in tents across the Gaza Strip, access to water has become one of the greatest daily struggles after two years of war between Israel and Hamas.
According to Monther Salem, director general of the Gaza Water Authority, Israel's military operations have destroyed more than 210 of the territory's 320 water wells, as well as nearly 80 per cent of the desalination plants that supplied drinking water.
“What remains of the water system is now threatened by shortages of fuel, engine oils and spare parts needed to keep it operating,” he told The National. Without these, generators, pumps and tankers cannot operate.
Before the war, the average person in Gaza had access to approximately 85 litres of water a day. Today, even under the best circumstances, that figure has fallen to 22 litres, according to the latest international assessment by the Water Authority.
Daily water production has dropped by 60 per cent, from around 300,000 cubic metres before the war to just 120,000 cubic metres. At the same time, deteriorating infrastructure has contributed to worsening water quality, with contamination rates rising from roughly 4 per cent before the war to as high as 17 per cent.
For families living in displacement camps, this means an exhausting search for water to survive.
“We are suffering immensely because of the water crisis,” said Ibrahim Abu Hani, 32, whose family lives in a tent in the Fish Fresh camp in Al Mawasi in southern Gaza.
Only a few months ago, electricity generators powered pumps that sent water from nearby wells to areas close to the tents every three days, while drinking water was delivered regularly by tankers, he said. “Each family could collect around 700 litres, which was enough to meet our basic needs.”
Today, water is pumped from the wells only once every two weeks. “The generators are constantly breaking down, and there are no spare parts to repair them,” Mr Abu Hani said. “The amount of water reaching us has dropped dramatically.”
The same shortages have forced many of the water tankers off the road entirely. “We can actually see water trucks parked and completely out of service because they have broken down and can no longer be repaired,” Mr Abu Hani said.
For Hayel Al Mana'ma, 36, transporting water to displacement camps provided a livelihood for him and a lifeline for thousands of families.
He owns two water tankers that have transported water from desalination plants to camps across Al Mawasi, Khan Younis and central Gaza since the beginning of the war in October 2023. Each vehicle carried 5,000 litres of water per trip.
Despite shortages, local mechanics had found ways to keep the vehicles operating, he said. That changed about two months ago.
“We completely ran out of engine oil,” Mr Al Mana'ma said. “Driving the trucks without it would destroy the engines.”
Both tankers are now parked indefinitely after developing mechanical problems that cannot be repaired because replacement parts are unavailable.
“Humanitarian organisations and donors continue to contact us asking us to transport water,” he said. “Unfortunately, we have to turn them down because our trucks are no longer operational.”
He said many other tanker owners had stopped operating for the same reason. “Even those still working could stop at any moment.”
displaced Gaza resident
For displaced families, fewer deliveries mean increasingly desperate competition for water whenever the tankers arrive.
“Access to water has become a daily struggle,” said Mohammad Helles, 41, who was displaced from Gaza city's Shujaiya neighbourhood.
Until a few months ago, a tanker delivered water daily to his camp near Gaza's seaport. “My family of six used to receive around 100 litres every day, and we managed,” he said. Now the camp receives only two tankers each week.
“As soon as a truck arrives, people rush towards it, pushing and competing just to fill their containers,” Mr Helles said. “The 100 litres we manage to collect are supposed to last us three or four days.”
When the water runs out, he goes in search of another source. Often there is none.
As summer temperatures continue to rise, demand for water is increasing while Gaza's ability to supply it continues to deteriorate.
“The little water we collect is barely enough for drinking and cooking,” Mr Helles said. “Most of the time, we have started bathing in seawater because we simply have no other choice.”
