1. The Water Situation inside Israel
Historically, Israel faced a severe natural freshwater shortage:
- Geographic & Climatic Reality: Israel has a semi-arid to arid climate. Most precipitation occurs in the north during a short winter season, while the central and southern regions (like the Negev Desert) receive very little rain.
- Over-reliance on Aquifers & Lakes: For decades, Israel relied primarily on the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) and groundwater aquifers (the Coastal Aquifer and Mountain Aquifer). Over-pumping and recurring droughts created severe water deficits and ecological degradation.
How Israel Solved Its Internal Scarcity
Israel addressed its domestic water crisis through massive technological and infrastructural investments:
- Desalination: Israel built large-scale seawater desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast. Today, desalination supplies over 80% of Israel’s domestic tap water.
- Wastewater Recycling: Israel recycles roughly 90% of its wastewater for agricultural irrigation, the highest rate in the world.
- Drip Irrigation & Grid Management: Advanced water distribution grids minimize leakage and optimize crop usage.
As a result, Israel shifted from severe physical water scarcity to a position of domestic water surplus, even exporting desalinated water to neighboring countries like Jordan.
2. The Connection to Gaza and the Palestinian Territories
The water crisis in Gaza is deeply tied to regional hydrology, political control, and conflict.
A. Shared Water Resources
- The Coastal Aquifer: Gaza shares the Coastal Aquifer basin with Israel. Because Gaza lies downstream, over-extraction and mismanagement within Gaza—combined with regional pressure—have led to severe seawater intrusion and contamination by sewage and agricultural runoff.
- Natural Deficit in Gaza: Over 90–95% of the natural groundwater in Gaza was classified as unfit for human consumption long before the 2023 conflict.
B. Structural and Political Control
Following the 1967 war, Israel placed all water resources in the Occupied Territories under military control (such as Military Order 158).
- Infrastructure Approval: Permits to drill wells or build major water installations required Israeli authorization, which aid organizations and Palestinians argued was nearly impossible to secure.
- Dependence on External Supply: Due to the degradation of the local aquifer, Gaza relied on three primary sources before 2023:
- Small local groundwater wells (mostly contaminated).
- Small-scale desalination plants.
- Water piped directly from Israel’s national water company (Mekorot).
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C. Electricity, Fuel, and Infrastructure Dependence
Desalination plants, water pumps, and wastewater treatment facilities require continuous electricity and fuel. Because Gaza lacked an independent power grid and relied heavily on fuel imported through controlled crossings or electricity supplied by Israel, any interruption directly impacted the water supply.
3. The Acute Crisis in Gaza During the Conflict
Following October 2023, the long-standing water issues in Gaza escalated into a severe humanitarian catastrophe:
- Power and Supply Cuts: Early in the conflict, electricity lines and fuel imports into Gaza were shut off or severely restricted. Without power or fuel, local desalination plants and municipal pumping stations halted operations.
- Infrastructure Destruction: Combat operations, airstrikes, and ground maneuvers damaged or destroyed large portions of Gaza’s water pipelines, wells, and sewage systems.
- Severe Scarcity & Health Risks: Per-capita water availability dropped significantly below the UN humanitarian threshold (15 liters per person per day). Displaced populations forced to rely on untreated well water or unsafe sources faced widespread outbreaks of waterborne illnesses, gastrointestinal infections, and skin conditions.
Summary
While Israel solved its own physical freshwater scarcity through advanced technology like desalination and water recycling, Gaza faces an acute, life-threatening water crisis. This crisis stems from a combination of natural aquifer contamination, high population density, historic administrative controls over infrastructure, and near-total reliance on external energy and water inputs that have been severely disrupted by war.