By Sally Ibrahim

 

ISRAELI OCCUPIED GAZA, 26 August. - (ANA) - For weeks, Palestinian residents of Sheikh Radwan in northern Gaza City had been waiting for a newly built desalination station to begin supplying water to their homes and displacement shelters.

 

The facility, which was under construction for about a month and nearing completion, sought to provide water for hundreds of families struggling with severe shortages because of the Israeli genocidal war and destruction.

 

But several Israeli missiles struck the station on Monday, destroying it before it could become operational, according to residents and eyewitnesses.

 

The strikes also damaged dozens of tents surrounding the facility and caused further damage to homes already weakened by previous bombardment.

 

The Israeli public broadcaster Kan claimed that the strike targeted a "Hamas weapons depot" in the area. Palestinian residents, however, have lost another desperately needed water source during Gaza's sweltering summer.

 

 

 

 

"We were eagerly waiting for the station to start operating. They told us the work was nearly finished and that water would soon reach the area. Then the airstrikes came and destroyed everything," Abu Mohammed, a resident of Sheikh Radwan, told The New Arab.

 

"We are not asking for the impossible. We just want water to drink and to wash our children," he added.

 

Abu Mohammed said his family has been forced to store water whenever it becomes available, regardless of how small the quantity.

 

"In summer, you cannot live without water. Children need to bathe, women need water for cooking and cleaning, and even drinking water now has to be carefully rationed," he described.

 

Near the destroyed station, Nuha Abu Issa, a mother of three, described how shrapnel damaged her family's tent.

 

"The tent was hit by shrapnel and parts of it were blown away," she said. "We thought the place where we live would be safer, but even the water station was not spared. Where will we go now? How will we get water?" 

 

"In this heat, the tent becomes an oven. There isn't enough water for drinking, bathing or washing clothes. When we find a water tanker, we wait for hours, and sometimes we return empty-handed," she added.

 

Because of the Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, obtaining water has become a daily ordeal, beginning with searching for a functioning source, followed by hours of waiting in queues and, finally, returning with quantities that often do not meet their families' needs.

 

Qusay Ghaleb, another resident, described to TNA how families have had to teach even young children how to ration water.

 

"We divide the water between drinking, cooking and washing. We cannot use it as we used to," Ghaleb said. "Even the children now know there is water for drinking and water for cleaning, and that every extra cup means the water will run out faster."

 

He said the destruction of the station had deepened a crisis that residents were already struggling to survive.

 

"We are living among the rubble of our homes and tents, and now even the water source we were waiting for has been destroyed. Summer waits for no one, and the children cannot bear the thirst," he continued. "When a house is destroyed, you can look for a tent, and when a tent is destroyed, you can try to repair it. But what do you do when you cannot find water? Water is not something you can do without."

 

 

 

 

The destruction of the Sheikh Radwan water station comes as Gaza's wider water infrastructure faces unprecedented collapse due to Israeli attacks. 

 

In a press statement released earlier in August, Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights said Israeli forces have continued to target vital infrastructure, including water and sanitation facilities and desalination plants, while restrictions on fuel and maintenance supplies have further damaged the territory's ability to produce and distribute water.

 

According to the centre, Gaza relies on three main water sources: groundwater, seawater desalination plants and water supplied through pipelines operated by Israel's Mekorot water company.

 

Around 80 per cent of water and sanitation infrastructure and facilities are now located within areas subject to evacuation orders, the centre said.

 

Its figures include 97 of 121 groundwater desalination plants, 52 of 58 water reservoirs, 302 of 392 water wells and 58 of 70 wastewater pumping stations.

 

The centre said 91 per cent of households in Gaza suffer from water insecurity, while around 65 per cent of the population receives only between three and five litres of water per person per day for drinking and cooking.

 

In Gaza City, the gap between available water and actual demand is particularly severe.

 

Husni Muhanna, spokesperson for the Gaza Municipality, told TNA that the city currently has access to only about 30,000 cubic metres of water per day, while summer demand reaches approximately 100,000 cubic metres.

 

About 12,000 cubic metres come from the Israeli Mekorot pipeline, another 12,000 from remaining municipal wells, and around 6,000 from private and commercial wells, he said.

 

Muhanna attributed the shortage to extensive damage to water infrastructure by Israel. "About 85 per cent of Gaza City's central water wells have been destroyed, while more than 150,000 linear metres of main and secondary water distribution networks have been destroyed or bulldozed," he said.

 

The destruction of the seawater desalination plant in the Sudaniya area has further reduced supplies, he added, warning that remaining facilities are also at risk of shutting down due to shortages of fuel, spare parts, filters, and pipes.

 

Between 55 and 70 per cent of Gaza City residents may not receive regular water supplies on some days, forcing the municipality to rely on alternative methods to distribute water to affected neighbourhoods.

 

 

 

 

"Water in Gaza is no longer just a basic service; it has become part of the struggle for survival," Political analyst Ahed Ferwana told TNA. "When water facilities are destroyed at a time when the population is already living on scarce quantities, the impact extends beyond the targeted building to the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians."

 

He noted that the destruction of the station should be viewed within a wider pattern of damage to wells, water networks, pumping stations and desalination plants, alongside difficulties in bringing in fuel and spare parts.

 

"Residents are not facing an isolated incident, but rather a cumulative collapse of the water system," he added.

 

He warned that continued water shortages during the summer could increase health risks, particularly among children, older people and those with illnesses.

 

The crisis also affects basic hygiene, food preparation, sanitation and efforts to prevent the spread of disease.

 

The bombing of the Sheikh Radwan station came as Hamas accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement and continuing to target civilians and vital infrastructure.

 

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem described the destruction of the desalination station as "a continuation of the genocide" and "a continuation of drying up all possibilities for life".

 

He also said that the bombing of displacement camps and the destruction of tents were evidence of what he described as an ongoing displacement policy.

 

According to Gaza's Government Media Office, Israel has committed thousands of violations of the ceasefire agreement, resulting in the deaths and injuries of thousands of Palestinians. - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/26 August 2026 - - -