Israeli military forces and settlers have launched more than 250 assaults against Palestinian water sources during the past five years, according to disturbing new research that reveals the most sustained attack on civilian water supplies in recent memory.
Weapons Used Against Water Infrastructure
The comprehensive data from the Pacific Institute, a California-based nonpartisan thinktank monitoring water conflicts worldwide, shows bombs, dogs, poison and heavy machinery were all deployed against Palestinians and their water infrastructure. These attacks targeted drinking water facilities, irrigation systems and sanitation sites across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip on at least 90 separate occasions between January 2024 and mid-2025.
Among the most severe incidents documented, Israeli snipers killed eight Palestinians while they collected water near Naser hospital in Gaza during February 2024. Two months later, Israeli airstrikes on two schools in Gaza City caused 100 casualties while destroying five mobile latrines and a solar-powered desalination unit installed just six months earlier as part of an EU-funded humanitarian project.
Public Health Catastrophe in Gaza
The relentless targeting of water infrastructure has created devastating consequences for Palestinian communities. According to UN estimates, approximately 90% of water and sanitation facilities in the Gaza Strip have either been destroyed by direct military strikes or rendered inaccessible because they're located in areas blocked by the Israeli army.
Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN special rapporteur on human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, described the situation as a public health catastrophe. He stated: "Such practices in Gaza, but also in other armed conflicts such as Sudan, constitute violations of international law, and have been documented as patterns of behaviour that constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity."
Arrojo added that in Gaza specifically, these actions "are an important part of a genocidal strategy" and accused Israel of systematically using water to displace and segregate Palestinians in territories illegally occupied since 1967.
Global Surge in Water Conflicts
The Middle East has emerged as a hotspot for water-related violence in recent years, but the Pacific Institute's data reveals a worrying global trend. In 2024 alone, researchers documented 420 water-related conflicts worldwide - representing a 20% increase over 2023 and a staggering 78% rise compared to 2022 figures.
The violence has continued into 2025, with more than 160 attacks recorded during the first half of the year. These incidents include assaults on dams, pipelines, wells, treatment plants, irrigation systems and water workers, alongside public protests and cross-border disputes over water access.
Peter Gleick, senior fellow and co-founder of the Pacific Institute, emphasised the urgency of the situation: "The growing number of violent incidents involving freshwater resources underscores the urgent need for international attention. Ensuring access to safe, affordable water for all and safeguarding civilian water systems in accordance with international law are critical to preventing further expansion of violence."
The institute's water conflict tracker represents the most comprehensive open-source database of water-related violence globally, containing more than 27,500 entries dating back over 4,500 years. The data shows water-related violence has surged dramatically since 2000, when only 24 incidents were reported worldwide, compared to over 160 in just the first six months of 2025.
Conflicts in occupied Palestine and Russia's war in Ukraine accounted for significant portions of the recent increase, representing 12% and 16% respectively of all global water conflict incidents during 2024.
