Gaza’s Thirst: Water Crisis Deepens During Ramadan Under Israeli Blockade

Each dawn during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Emad al-Hadad would station himself at the cracked sidewalks of Gaza City, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

The 43-year-old father of seven is not awaiting family or friends, but a precious cargo: water tankers that trundle through the battered streets, their arrival as uncertain as the flicker of electricity in this besieged enclave.

"Securing clean drinking water has become a daily struggle. This is especially true with the urgent need for water after the Maghrib call to prayer, when residents break their fast after long hours without water," al-Hadad told Xinhua, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

The water crisis, already dire after years of blockade, spiraled catastrophically following the war in October 2023. When power lines supplying Gaza were severed, desalination plants -- which produce fresh water suitable for consumption or irrigation for the over 2 million Gazans -- ground to a halt.

Months of international pressure later, Israel permitted a trickle of electricity to flow to desalination plants in central and southern Gaza. But the reprieve was short-lived. Recent cuts have plunged the enclave back into a deepening emergency, with Ramadan's heightened demand colliding with crippling shortages.

"It's more difficult than ever," al-Haddad said. "During Ramadan, we need water more than at any other time, whether for fasting or for preparing iftar and suhoor. However, desalination plants operate fewer hours, and water tankers arrive in smaller quantities. We don't know how long this will last."

Across Gaza, families now ration every drop. Desalination facilities, operating at less than 20 percent of the usual capacity, strain under fuel shortages and erratic power. Humanitarian aid trucks deliver sporadic supplies, but the math is unforgiving: more mouths to hydrate, fewer resources to share.

"We are trying to continue (operating the plants), but the lack of electricity and fuel makes it extremely difficult. If this continues, we may have to stop production completely, and that would leave residents without water during Ramadan," Abdul Salam Yassin, an official at one of Gaza's desalination plants, told Xinhua.

"Before the Israeli decision, I could provide enough water to my customers," Fadi Abu Snouna, a 35-year-old water tanker driver in Gaza City's Al-Daraj neighborhood, told Xinhua.

"But now, I only get a quarter of the amount I used to receive. During Ramadan, people need more water for iftar and suhoor, but I have to apologize to my customers because the water isn't available," he said.

The financial toll is crushing. Prices for clean water have more than doubled since the war, with families like Mohammed Abdullah's in northern Gaza now having to spend 20 U.S. dollars weekly -- a small fortune in the enclave where unemployment, according to recent data from International Labour Organization, nears 80 percent.

"This is a huge burden, especially during Ramadan, when we need more water to prepare iftar and suhoor meals," Abdullah, a 29-year-old father of two from Beit Lahia, told Xinhua.

For many, even contaminated water is a grim necessity. Laila Abu Hamdan, a 38-year-old mother of four in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, described boiling unsafe municipal supplies to mitigate health risks.

"My children complain of stomach aches, and I know the cause is the contaminated water," she said. "But buying clean water has become too expensive."

Health officials are now warning of a looming catastrophe. Khalil al-Daqran, spokesperson for Gaza-based health authorities, reported spikes in hepatitis and gastrointestinal diseases linked to tainted water.

"The water currently available is not completely safe to drink, but residents have no other choice. If the situation continues, we may face widespread disease outbreaks, further burdening Gaza's already overwhelmed healthcare system," al-Daqran told Xinhua.
-XINHUA