MoSD Warns of Serious Humanitarian and Public Health Consequences as the Drinking Water Crisis Deepens in the Gaza Strip
The Ministry of Social Development has warned of the rapidly deteriorating water and sanitation situation in the Gaza Strip, particularly amid rising summer temperatures, continued displacement, and severe overcrowding in shelters and displacement camps.
The Ministry stated that field reports indicate that the average daily water consumption per person ranges between 4.5 and 6 liters, well below the minimum amount required for survival according to international standards. As a result, families are being forced to reduce water consumption for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene, significantly increasing the risk of disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
The Ministry emphasized that the water crisis cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip. Rather, it forms part of a complex and interconnected humanitarian crisis. Water shortages are exacerbating food insecurity, directly affecting food preparation, bread production, cooking, personal hygiene, and food safety, while also increasing environmental and public health risks and placing additional burdens on displaced families.
The Ministry further explained that the continued decline in water production, the extensive damage to water and sanitation infrastructure, and the acute shortages of fuel, operational supplies, and spare parts threaten to further expand the humanitarian crisis and adversely affect critical sectors, including health, food security, protection, and the delivery of essential services.
The Ministry also reported more than 125,000 cases of skin diseases and parasitic infections, in addition to rising rates of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses associated with contaminated water, accumulated solid waste, and the deterioration of sanitation services, posing a direct threat to public health.
The Ministry stressed that the consequences of this crisis affect the entire population of the Gaza Strip; however, they have the greatest impact on children, women, older persons, persons with disabilities, individuals with chronic illnesses, and displaced families, who are the groups most vulnerable to the health and humanitarian risks associated with water shortages and the lack of essential services.
The Ministry called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to take urgent action to ensure access to safe drinking water, sustain water supply and sanitation services, and provide the operational resources required to maintain critical infrastructure. It warned that the continuation of the current crisis will lead to further deterioration of humanitarian, health, and living conditions across the Gaza Strip.
The Ministry further emphasized that every humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is interconnected. Water, food, health, and protection constitute an integrated system, and any deterioration in one sector inevitably affects the others. This reality requires an immediate, comprehensive, and coordinated response to prevent further escalation of humanitarian suffering.