Doctors Without Borders has accused Israeli authorities of systematically depriving people in Gaza of access to water, describing the situation as 'engineered scarcity' and collective punishment. In a report titled 'Water as a Weapon,' the medical charity said the destruction of civilian water systems and restrictions on essential supplies amount to the deliberate creation of inhumane living conditions.

According to data cited from the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank, nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. Desalination plants, boreholes, pipelines and sewage systems have been rendered unusable, while aid groups have faced repeated obstacles in delivering critical equipment and materials needed to restore services.

Doctors Without Borders said its water trucks and facilities have come under fire and that civilians have been killed or injured while attempting to collect water. The organization warned that limited access to clean water, combined with overcrowding and a collapsed health system, is increasing the risk of disease outbreaks, and called on Israel and its allies to ensure immediate restoration of adequate water supplies and humanitarian access.