- [Narrator] People in Gaza are being forced to use seawater

to clean themselves, wash their clothes,

and clean the dishes.

This is a result of Israel's siege,

which restricted the supply

of water, food, fuel, and medicine

into the Palestinian enclave

in response to Hamas's deadly attacks on October 7.

(refugees speaking foreign language)

- [Narrator] The World Health Organization said

that more than 2 million Gazans

have to get by on just three liters of water per day

for drinking, cooking, and washing.

That's just 1/5 of the absolute minimum

of 15 liters needed for basic survival according to the WHO.

(pump buzzing)

Gaza's water crisis began well before the current conflict

between Israel and Hamas.

Most of Gaza's fresh water comes from a shallow aquifer,

which was contaminated with sewage and seawater

even before the war.

The UN has said that as much as 96% of it

is not fit for human consumption,

so Gazans had to rely on unregulated private water tankers

and desalination plants for drinking water.

There are three major desalination plants,

while some of the water is purchased from Israel.

Years of conflicts worsened

the already inadequate water infrastructure.

In 2007, Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza

after Hamas took over power in the strip.

That severely restricted the entry of materials

to repair and maintain water systems.

Then, Israel ordered a total siege of Gaza

after the Hamas attacks.

(Yoav speaking foreign language)

- [Narrator] In the aftermath of the assault,

Israel also turned off water pipelines.

In late October, Israeli officials said

that water was flowing through two of the three pipelines.

As fuel started to run out,

two of the three desalination plants in Gaza

had to shut down.

The last desalination plant that's still in operation

was only working at 5% capacity in late October.

All wastewater plants in Gaza

are shut down due to the lack of power,

resulting in raw sewage flooding the streets.

(baby crying)

Since mid-October, more than 30,000 cases

of diarrhea have been reported according to the WHO.

Over half of those are among children under five years old.

The UN's Children's Agency warns that in conflicts areas,

children under five are 20 times more likely

to die of diseases linked to diarrhea than to violence.

(Rafif speaking foreign language)

- [Narrator] Long cues of people waiting to fill Jerry cans

are now commonplace across the territory

as water becomes increasingly scarce.

The amount of water on which Gazans rely on now

is a fraction of the WHO recommended range

of 50 to 100 liters a day.

And it's negligible compared

to what people in Israel consume

on average every day according to a UN report.

(Magda speaking foreign language)

- [Narrator] The Israeli military said Gaza

has sufficient water supplies,

as well as access to solar power and diesel.

It accused Hamas of limiting civilians' access

to those vital resources.

Hamas denies this.

What Gaza really needs according

to humanitarian organizations is fuel to restore power.

Since the conflicts began on October 7,

Israel allowed only half a tanker of fuel

to enter the besieged enclave

via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

- Fuel here in Gaza is absolutely.

Everything was without fuel, we do not have generator,

we do not have functioning bakery,

we do not have a functioning hospital,

and you cannot pump water.

- [Narrator] In mid-November, the UN said 200,000 Gazans

lost access to clean water

after its two water distribution contractors stop working

due to the lack of fuel.

(truck horn beeping)

Some aid trucks have entered Gaza in recent weeks,

but the UN says

they are not bringing in nearly enough fresh water.

(suspenseful music)