On 2 March, Israel sealed off the Kerem Shalom crossing in conjunction with the start of Ramadan, which led to a drastic shortage of fuel needed to run desalination plants. [Getty]
As the sun sets on the tenth day of Ramadan, Mahmoud Salem, 45, sits on the roof of his dilapidated home in the Zeitoun neighbourhood in eastern Gaza.
He stares at the nearly empty water tank, the call to prayer filling the air. Yet he realises that his family's iftar tonight will be incomplete, not due to a lack of food but because of the absence of drinkable water.
In the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million people, thirst has become the norm as the water crisis deepens under a tightened Israeli blockade.
Israel's renewed closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza's primary commercial outlet, for more than a week has led to a severe shortage of fuel needed to operate desalination plants, forcing families to seek alternative sources at exorbitant costs.
This has occurred during a time when Palestinians in the coastal enclave are already grappling with an ongoing economic collapse after more than 15-months of an Israeli genocidal war.
Water: A scarce commodity in Gaza
"How can I fast when I cannot find water to drink?" Salem wondered aloud, his voice heavy with frustration, as he looked at the near-empty water tank on the roof of his home. The salty water flows through the pipes for a few hours a day, but it is undrinkable.
"The water we get is salty and full of impurities," Salim he noted to The New Arab. "I have to pay $US 30 weekly for desalinated water, but it is not entirely pure. I know it is polluted, but what else can I do? If I do not buy it, my children will die of thirst."
Salwa Khalil, a 38-year-0old mother of five from the Shujaiya neighbourhood, faces a similar plight.
"When it is time to break the fast, I stand helpless in the kitchen," she said to TNA, her voice tinged with exhaustion.
"How can I prepare food for my children when I don't have water to wash the rice? Sometimes, I have to use polluted water to cook, knowing it could harm my children's health; there's no other choice," she added.
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a time of spiritual reflection and serenity, Palestinians in Gaza are going thirsty. The need for water during fasting is even more significant, but Palestinian residents are trapped in a cycle of scarcity and suffering due to Israel's actions.
Before Israel's genocidal war, Palestinians in Gaza relied heavily on water extracted from the coastal aquifer. However, more than 97 per cent of this water is undrinkable due to contamination with nitrates and chlorides. Moreover, the recent Israeli war further damaged the water infrastructure, worsening the quality of water reaching homes.
Khaled Abu Aker, a father from Gaza City, described how the crisis has impacted his life. "We used to rely on water we bought from private stations, but now it has become scarce and expensive. The price of a water tank has skyrocketed from $US5 to $US50 due to the fuel shortage and the difficulty of bringing desalinated water into Gaza," Abu Aker told TNA.
"Every day, I try to convince myself that things will improve, that Hamas and Israel will eventually agree to end the war, and our lives will return to normal," he said. "Every day that passes is harder than the last, and we are left to live in complete loss. I try to get water, but it's always a difficult and arduous task."
In the Nuseirat camp, Umm Sami, a 35-year-old mother, struggles daily with her five children. "Every night, I wake up my young son crying from thirst," she remarked to TNA. "Even the water we buy from the vendors tastes strange. Sometimes, it feels like we're drinking seawater."
'A war of extermination'
On 2 March, Israel sealed off the Kerem Shalom crossing in conjunction with the start of Ramadan, which led to a drastic shortage of fuel needed to run desalination plants.
Some plants have either ceased operations entirely or reduced production capacity, worsening the water situation. Chlorine and disinfectant supply lines have also been disrupted, increasing the risk of water pollution in Gaza's homes.
Making the condition worse, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced an Israeli government decision to halt electricity supplies to Gaza, affecting the desalination plants and groundwater recycling systems.
"We will use all available means to ensure that Hamas will not be present in Gaza the day after the war," Cohen claimed.
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem condemned the decision as "an extension of the war of extermination," arguing that Israel was using thirst and hunger as "weapons of war".
"Israel is using starvation and thirst to subjugate the people of Gaza, in blatant violation of international law," Qassem said in a press statement.
The interruption of electricity has nearly disabled Gaza's water desalination plants, according to Hosni Muhanna, the public relations officer for Gaza's municipality.
"We are facing an environmental and health disaster. Sewage is being pumped into the sea because the pumps have stopped. This will cause pollution to spread along the beaches, posing a significant health threat," he told TNA.
He further warns that pollution could lead to rising waterborne diseases, particularly among children.
Despite the dire circumstances, Palestinians in Gaza are trying to find ways to adapt and help one another.
Mohammed Al-Helou, 27, has volunteered with friends in Al-Shatea refugee camp in western Gaza City to collect donations from merchants to buy mobile water tanks and distributing them to the neediest families in the camp.
"We know that what we are doing is not a permanent solution, but it helps alleviate people's suffering," Al-Helou told TNA. "During Ramadan, thirst is unbearable, but the spirit of solidarity and cooperation among people gives us the strength to endure."