Caritas Jerusalem has warned Gaza’s water crisis has reached a critical breaking point, with families struggling to access safe water amid ongoing conflict, displacement and infrastructure collapse.
The crisis is unfolding within an already dire humanitarian situation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, where 1.7 million people in Gaza are displaced and living in overcrowded conditions with limited access to essential services, including clean water.
Harout Bedrossian, Head of Resource Development at Caritas Jerusalem, said the reality on the ground reflects the collapse of water systems across Gaza.
“Gaza lies along the Mediterranean coast, yet safe water has become painfully scarce. Years of repeated damage to water and sanitation systems have left wells, pipelines, sewage networks, and desalination plants destroyed or barely functioning.”
Across communities and displacement sites, access to water has become a daily struggle for survival.
“Across neighbourhoods and displacement sites, children walk long distances carrying heavy, empty containers. Parents try to stretch whatever water they can find across drinking, cooking, and washing, often knowing it may not be safe.”
“Humanitarian agencies including our doctors on the ground have reported rising cases of acute watery diarrhoea and hepatitis A, especially among displaced families living in crowded shelters with limited sanitation” Harout added.
Caritas Jerusalem is scaling up its response to meet urgent needs, including water trucking and emergency WASH kits, alongside healthcare, psychosocial support and cash assistance for vulnerable families.
Sally Thomas, Humanitarian Manager at Caritas Australia, said access to safe water is now one of the most urgent humanitarian priorities in Gaza.
“Without clean water, families face immediate and compounding risks, from dehydration to disease, particularly in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.”
“Our partners are working tirelessly to deliver safe water and essential care, but the scale of this crisis demands continued support from the international community.”
Soberingly, Harout Bedrossian concluded by saying, “Gaza’s water crisis is not only about infrastructure failure. It is about the slow erosion of something far more fragile: the feeling that tomorrow might be easier than today.”
To support Caritas Australia’s Gaza Crisis Appeal, visit www.caritas.org.au/gaza or call 1800 024 413 toll free.
Media contact: Tara Harvey 0484 002 021 tara.harvey@caritas.org.au or caritasmedia@caritas.org.au
