Gaza’s Deepening Water Crisis Puts Millions at Risk as Hot Weather Intensifies

22 June 2026

As hot summer conditions intensify, water scarcity has become an urgent and life-threatening dimension of the crisis in Gaza. Nearly one million people are living in tents, 5,000 families are sleeping outdoors, and 52,000 are crammed into overcrowded shelters—where extreme heat and poor conditions further amplify exposure and health risks. Over 75% of the population faces severe water insecurity, with most families now surviving on less than six liters per person per day—less than half the 15-liter emergency survival minimum and a fraction of the roughly 85 liters per person per day available before the conflict. 

Damage to water infrastructure, fuel shortages, and restricted access to functioning wells and desalination points have left families reliant on irregular trucked water supplies that are often insufficient, unsafe, or unaffordable. Overcrowded displacement sites and limited sanitation services are leading to rising levels of preventable disease, placing additional pressure on a shattered and overwhelmed health system.  

After more than two and a half years of war, families in Gaza have exhausted every possible means of coping and are now surviving day to day with no margin left for further shocks. 

Mercy Corps Response Director in Gaza, Rachel Norris, said: 

“Without reliable access to safe water, this crisis will continue to deepen. We are already seeing the early signs of worsening malnutrition and disease, especially among children. As temperatures rise, the lack of water, sanitation, and adequate shelter will accelerate the spread of illness and increase preventable suffering. Families are being forced to survive on just a few liters of water a day and must make impossible choices between drinking, cooking, or maintaining basic hygiene. Every decision comes with a cost. 

“People are not coping — they are surviving day to day with nothing left to fall back on. We are witnessing the steady erosion of their ability to endure. Without immediate and sustained access to safe shelter, sufficient, nutritious food, and safe water, more families will face worsening malnutrition and health risks.  

“The combination of water scarcity, fuel shortages, and the collapse of essential services is pushing Gaza’s population into increasingly untenable conditions. Immediate priorities must include restoring sustained and predictable humanitarian access, urgently scaling food assistance with a focus on nutritional quality, ensuring safe and sufficient water supply, and securing fuel to support essential services. Without these measures, the risk of rapid and widespread deterioration will grow as hot weather persists, with the most vulnerable bearing the heaviest cost.” 
 

Since October 2023, Mercy Corps and our local partners have reached over 400,000 people in Gaza with emergency support - including food, cash, hygiene supplies, clean water, shelter kits, emergency livelihoods assistance, and psychosocial support. We are currently scaling cash, livelihoods, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities to support additional vulnerable families across the Gaza Strip. Mercy Corps remains poised to deliver thousands of additional lifesaving kits and supplies, which could support over 160,000 people directly, however these items remain blocked from entry by the Israeli government. Mercy Corps’ highly experienced Palestinian team in Gaza remains at the forefront of implementation, ensuring the consistent delivery of impactful, timely, and principled support to affected communities.  

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