Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has accused Israel of systematically depriving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip of access to water, describing it as part of a broader campaign of collective punishment.
In a newly released report titled Water as a Weapon: Israel’s Destruction and Deprivation of Water and Sanitation in Gaza, MSF said Israeli authorities have repeatedly targeted water infrastructure and blocked essential supplies needed to maintain access to clean water and sanitation.
The organization called on Israel to immediately restore adequate water access in Gaza and urged Israel’s allies to pressure the country to stop restricting humanitarian aid and water-related assistance.
According to MSF, nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure—including desalination plants, pipelines, boreholes, and sewage systems—has been damaged or destroyed. The report also alleges that Israeli forces targeted clearly marked water trucks and vital boreholes used by civilians.
MSF emergency manager Claire San Filippo said the destruction of water infrastructure, combined with overcrowding and the collapse of healthcare services, has created severe conditions for the spread of disease.
The report includes testimonies from Palestinians affected by the crisis. One resident of Gaza City recounted that her 10-year-old grandson was killed while waiting in line to collect drinking water in Nuseirat in July 2025.
MSF stated that it is currently one of the largest producers and distributors of drinking water in Gaza after local authorities. However, the organization said ongoing displacement orders and access restrictions have prevented aid teams from reaching key areas and maintaining lifesaving water services for hundreds of thousands of people.
