Israeli forces and illegal settlers are suspected of attacking water resources and infrastructure in Palestine more than 250 times over a five-year period.
This shocking news was reported in a study by the Pacific Institute, an organization in California, United States (US) that revealed a systematic pattern of using water as a weapon of war.
The study found that since January 2024, water infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank has been targeted by the Israeli regime 90 times, including cases of deliberate water poisoning.
This situation has seen 90% of the entire water infrastructure in Gaza destroyed in two years.
Israeli forces have also reportedly prevented civilians from accessing areas that still have safe water supplies.
Statistics show that more than 1,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza while seeking aid due to lack of food, water and medical services.
The study also documented several attacks on Palestinians seeking water, including eight people killed by sniper fire in February 2024.
In April 2025, a series of airstrikes by Israeli forces in Gaza damaged two schools, injured at least 100 people, and destroyed a desalination plant and public toilet facilities, widely disrupting clean water supplies.
In July, 10 Palestinians, including 6 children, were killed and 16 others injured while queuing for water at a distribution center in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp.
This prompted a group of United Nations (UN) experts to publicly accuse Israel of using water supplies as a weapon of war.
Denying access to water is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
