“The deliberate deprivation of water inflicted on Palestinians is an integral part of the genocide perpetrated by Israel,” said the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Tuesday in a statement published with a report on “the destruction and deprivation of water and sanitation by Israel in Gaza.”

Published on: 04/28/2026 - 08:53 Modified on: 04/28/2026 - 09:23

The Israeli authorities are using access to water as a "weapon" against the population of Gaza, depriving them of this essential resource as part of a "collective punitive campaign", denounced a report from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Tuesday April 28.

Between destruction of infrastructure and obstacles to supply, "the deliberate deprivation of water inflicted on Palestinians is an integral part of the genocide perpetrated by Israel", states MSF bluntly in a press release published with its report entitled "Water as a weapon: the destruction and deprivation of water and sanitation by Israel in Gaza".

Accusations of genocide in Gaza, which have increased over the course of the war, are strongly rejected by Israel.

The report, which is based on MSF data and testimonies collected by its staff between 2024 and 2025, maintains that the “repeated instrumentalization of water” by the Israeli authorities is “a recurring, systematic and cumulative pattern”.

“It comes on top of the direct killings of civilians, the destruction of health structures and the demolition of homes, causing massive population displacements. Together, these elements demonstrate a desire to impose destructive and inhumane living conditions on Palestinians in Gaza,” warns the NGO.

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“The Israeli authorities know that without water, life stops. Yet they have systematically and deliberately destroyed water infrastructure in Gaza, while constantly blocking the entry of water-related equipment,” says Claire San Filippo, emergency manager at MSF, quoted in the press release.

Despite a ceasefire that came into force in October, two years after the start of the war triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Gaza Strip remains prey to violence, with Israel and the Islamist movement accusing each other of violating the truce.

Nearly 90% of infrastructure destroyed

According to data from the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank, Israel has destroyed or damaged nearly 90 percent of Gaza's water and sanitation infrastructure, including desalination plants, boreholes, pipelines and sewer networks.

And MSF teams documented Israeli army shooting on “clearly identified” tanker trucks, as well as the destruction of boreholes “which constituted a vital source for tens of thousands of people”. “Palestinians have been injured and killed while simply trying to access water,” says Claire San Filippo.

The shortage "is such that it is simply impossible to provide sufficient quantities to the population", maintains MSF, presenting itself as the main producer and distributor of drinking water in Gaza after the local authorities.

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As of March 2026, MSF was providing more than 5.3 million liters of water per day, equivalent to the minimum needs of more than 407,000 people, or approximately one in five inhabitants.

“But the movement orders imposed by the Israeli army prevented MSF teams from accessing areas where they were providing water to hundreds of thousands of people,” protests the NGO, also condemning the obstacles to the entry of essential materials related to water and sanitation into Gaza since October 2023.

A third of the NGO's requests to bring in desalination units, pumps, chlorine and other water treatment products, tanks, insect repellents or latrines "were refused or remained unanswered".

The consequences are “considerable for the health, hygiene and dignity of populations, in particular for women and people with disabilities”, warns MSF. “For lack of toilets, people are forced to dig holes in the sand, which overflow and contaminate the environment and groundwater.”

The lack of access to water and hygiene, combined with undignified living conditions – overcrowded tents, makeshift shelters – promotes the spread of diseases, including respiratory infections, skin diseases and diarrheal diseases.

MSF calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately restore access to water "at sufficient levels" for the inhabitants of Gaza, and calls on their allies to "pressure so that obstacles to humanitarian aid are lifted."

With AFP

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