More than 75 Percent of Gaza Residents Face Severe Water Shortages

JAKARTA - The humanitarian group Mercy Corps warns that more than 75 percent of the population of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, is struggling with severe water shortages, especially in densely populated refugee camps, as the summer heat increases.

"As the heat of the summer increases, water scarcity has become an urgent and life-threatening crisis dimension in Gaza," the group said in a report released on Monday, launching The National (23/6).

Further explained, families survive on less than six liters per person per day, less than half of the minimum 15 liters needed to survive.

For comparison, before the war, 85 liters per person were obtained.

"Densely populated displacement sites and limited sanitation services lead to increased rates of preventable diseases, adding pressure to a shattered and overwhelmed health system," the organization said.

The Israeli war in Gaza, which erupted after a Hamas-led offensive on October 7, 2023, has largely destroyed civilian infrastructure.

"After more than two and a half years of war, families in Gaza have exhausted all means of survival and are now able to survive from day to day without any more room to face further shocks," the report said.

More than six months after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that ended a two-year war in the Palestinian territory in October 2025, access to what should be a basic right remains an everyday struggle for its residents.

Israel also controls all of the territory's borders and imposes restrictions on what and who enters and leaves Gaza. Water remains a scarce resource.

"People are not able to survive - they are only able to survive from day to day without anything else to rely on," said Mercy Corps Emergency Response Director in Gaza Rachel Norris.

"We are witnessing a continuous erosion of their ability to survive. Without direct and sustainable access to safe shelter, adequate nutritious food, and clean water, more families will face malnutrition and worsening health risks," he continued.

"The combination of water scarcity, fuel shortages, and the collapse of essential services pushes Gaza's residents into increasingly uninhabitable conditions," the report warned.

Since October 2023, Israel has destroyed 725 wells and 1,400 km of water pipes and sewage lines, according to data from the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem, a non-profit organization working to increase Palestinian control over natural resources.

The ceasefire left the Israeli military in control of about 50 percent of Gaza, on the northern, eastern and southern borders, while Hamas controlled the rest.

However, the Israeli military has gradually entered the group's territory and is now believed to occupy 60 percent of it.

Many are still living in overcrowded camps and tents, which are becoming too hot as temperatures rise.