Israel is currently enduring weeks of water shortages after an unprecedented algae bloom severely compromised its desalination capacity. Scientists attribute this crisis to the massive discharge of untreated sewage, triggered by Israeli military strikes that destroyed much of Gaza’s wastewater infrastructure.
“Pollution does not recognize political borders,” stated the Zalul Environmental Association, an Israeli NGO committed to protecting the nation’s coastlines. “The release of untreated sewage from the Gaza Strip into the Mediterranean is exacerbating the crisis afflicting Israeli desalination facilities. The wastewater carries nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which nourish microalgae and cyanobacteria, intensifying their blooms.”
Despite a US-brokered ceasefire last year, Gaza remains trapped in a severe water and sanitation crisis. The Palestinian territory is plagued by rodent infestations, and sewage floods its coastline following the destruction of its wastewater treatment plants by Israeli forces.
Just across the border, a massive microalgae bloom stretching up to 60 miles (100 kilometers) has clogged filters at five of Israel’s six major desalination plants. These facilities were shut down for several days and are now operating at reduced capacity.
Experts indicate that after nearly three years of conflict, the environmental fallout from the devastation in Gaza is now spilling back into Israel.
“The discharge of untreated sewage from Gaza into the sea poses significant risks to Israel’s water production infrastructure along the southern Mediterranean coast,” said Jack Gilron, a professor emeritus and desalination expert at Ben-Gurion University’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research. “This incident underscores the urgent need to prepare against threats to one of Israel’s primary sources of drinking water.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli bombardment has destroyed 90% of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure, according to a report by Médecins Sans Frontières. Direct strikes have targeted wells, carrier lines, reservoirs, and desalination units.
Gaza’s water crisis remains dire. Prior to the war, 80% of the territory’s supply came from an aquifer beneath the coastal strip; however, that supply is now contaminated by seawater and wastewater, rendering it unfit for human consumption.
Most of Gaza’s drinking water previously came from desalination plants and three pipelines controlled by the Israeli water authority. These pipelines were severed at the onset of the war and have only partially reopened.
Meanwhile, damaged or destroyed distribution networks have left much of the population dependent on water trucks.
For many, this presents a stark choice between drinking an extra cup of water or conserving it to wash hands and prevent disease, with acute diarrhea remaining a leading cause of illness.
“We carry water in jerry cans,” said Nas al-Barawi, 34, a mother of five from Beit Lahia. “We walk with heavy containers or wait for hours in queues. Much of the water is unsafe, and children suffer from recurring stomach infections, diarrhea, and skin rashes. Damaged sewage networks and failed pumps have also left wastewater flowing between tents and through residential areas.”
Omar Shatat, the deputy executive director of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility in Gaza, reported that all five of the territory’s wastewater treatment plants are out of service. This leaves an estimated 45,000 cubic meters of untreated sewage flowing into the Mediterranean daily.
In addition, approximately 15,000 cubic meters of untreated waste seeps into the groundwater daily from soakaway pits, particularly in the informal camps in al-Mawasi.
“This is a catastrophic situation both environmentally and from a public-health perspective,” Shatat stated. “The sea is heavily polluted, and the first people affected are Gaza’s residents and displaced individuals, as they are in direct contact with the highest concentrations of sewage.”
Pat Griffiths, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City, warned that the situation is likely to deteriorate with the onset of winter. “Palestinians live surrounded by wastewater. It is all around them—it is where they eat, where they get water, and where they walk,” he said.
Shaimaa al-Katari, 37, who has been displaced to al-Mawasi, said: “We have nowhere to dispose of the water from washing dishes and clothes. We have to let it run into the street, which causes pools of stagnant water to form. Algae and mosquitoes then spread around them, and the streets become dirty. We suffer from foul smells, mosquitoes at night, and flies during the day, as well as rodents.”
Rats have infested parts of Gaza for months, thriving amid raw sewage and accumulating piles of rubbish around overcrowded camps for displaced people.
Israeli communities near the Gaza border are also grappling with an unprecedented rat infestation, with rodents swarming homes and gardens.
“The consequences of the war do not stop at the border,” said Nada Majdalani, the Palestine director of EcoPeace Middle East, an environmental peacebuilding organization. “We are already seeing an increase in hepatitis A in Gaza. I believe we are on the verge of a catastrophe. And a serious outbreak in Gaza would not necessarily remain within Gaza’s borders.”
In Israel, authorities are urging citizens to use water “judiciously” until the system is fully restored. Water supplies have been reduced in the south of the country, and farmers have been instructed to halt irrigation, which economists say will cause food prices to rise.
Zalul and EcoPeace urged Cogat, the Israeli agency charged with the administration of Gaza, to help restore the territory’s sewage system and allow wastewater to be treated in Israeli-controlled areas.
Cogat did not respond to a request for comment.
Zalul stated: “If the pollution continues, its impact could eventually be felt throughout the country. When the marine environment is contaminated, both people and nature suffer. Regardless of which side of the border they are on.”
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