Oxfam and partners restore limited water access for 156,000 amid near-total water and sanitation infrastructure collapse.
100 days into the ceasefire announcement, in a week that has seen more severe weather hitting Gaza, needs remain desperate. Oxfam and dozens of other INGOs working in Gaza have had to further adapt their operations to keep life-saving work continuing, even as they face uncertainty over new registration requirements imposed by Israeli authorities.
Despite months of severely restricted aid inflows, amidst power disruptions, access shutdowns and repeated rejection of essential materials, work has continued. Oxfam has worked around the clock with experts from local partner organisations, to restore vital water wells – even sifting through rubble to salvage and repurpose damaged materials, including sheet metal.
According to assessments carried out by Oxfam’s partner, the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU), the total cost to rebuild all of the water and sanitation facilities, systems and infrastructure which have been destroyed or damaged by Israel in Gaza will be around $800 million. However, the figure could be even higher, since parts of Gaza remain inaccessible and construction costs have also doubled, due to the lack of materials being allowed in.
The wells restored by Oxfam and partners are located in Gaza City and Khan Younis, and are now providing at least 156,000 people with a life-saving and sustainable water supply. Work continues on a further eight wells and two water pumping stations, which should be working again by February, providing continuous fresh water for 175,000 more people.
Wassem Mushtaha, Oxfam Gaza Response lead, said: “We did not just re-open these wells. We have been solving a moving puzzle under the siege and restrictions to make the wells operational – salvaging parts, repurposing equipment, and paying inflated prices to get critical components, all while trying to keep our teams safe.
“For as long as systematic policies and practices preventing aid agencies from getting essential supplies into Gaza persist, we will have to keep finding a way to reach people in need. It’s not an acceptable situation, but as humanitarians, we can never give up trying to save lives.
“So much more could have been achieved if our efforts had not been undermined at every turn – which continues to this day. Oxfam alone has over 2 million dollars’ worth of aid and water and sanitation equipment ready to enter Gaza, but these supplies have been repeatedly rejected since March 2025.”
Israeli authorities have made a meaningful humanitarian response impossible by design. Israel defends threats to deregister up to 37 international NGOs – claiming humanitarian organisations’ impacts have been “inconsequential.” But NGOs have repeatedly appealed to Israel to be allowed to do their jobs, calling on Israel to lift restrictions undermining civilian survival. In reality, Israel continues to block effective relief efforts and the restoration of essential infrastructure.
In response to the challenges, Oxfam has increased its procurement of aid from local markets where possible, and continues to expand services in areas such as social-psychological support and health promotion, WASH, emergency livelihoods, multi-purpose cash transfer, food voucher distribution, and public health promotion – essential areas, with less reliance on materials that Israel continues to systematically reject.
Monther Shoblaq, Director General of CMWU, said aid agencies should not have to operate in a way that is needlessly time consuming and exhausting:
“While it’s commendable that dedicated staff are going to such lengths to bring water access to those who need it so desperately, the equipment needed is just across the border, blocked from entry. Agencies are having to resort to salvaging materials from the rubble of bombed water infrastructure and the remains of people’s homes, repurposing parts, and paying inflated prices. This is the direct result of Israeli restrictions, last-resort measures forced by siege conditions.
Needs in Gaza exceed far beyond the aid and reconstruction materials Israel is allowing in and the situation will worsen if Israel’s collective punishment and illegal blockade continues. Water deprivation is just one of the many human rights violations Israel has undertaken with impunity. Oxfam and other organisations who have operated in Gaza for decades must be allowed to respond at the scale.
Notes
Since the Gaza ceasefire was announced, 100 days ago, on 8 October, Israel's military attacks continue. Over 440 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. Over 2,500 residential buildings have been destroyed, leaving people forced into displacement. Severe restrictions on aid inflows persist.
Despite all the access and security challenges, Oxfam has reached over 1.3 million people in Gaza with aid since the beginning of the escalation in conflict in October 2023.
According to the UN , 1.1 million Palestinian in Gaza are in urgent need of assistance in the harsh winter conditions.
In a recent survey conducted by Oxfam, examining households in Khan Younis and Gaza Governorates, it has found:
- 87 per cent of people lacked access to basic essential services
- 89 per cent were dependent on unsustainable water trucking to get just the bare minimum level of water needed to survive
- 66 per cent of latrines used by those surveyed were partially functioning or in need of repair, meaning many were resorting to open defecation, risking the spread of disease
- 84 per cent of households reported outbreaks of disease in the last few weeks
- 77 per cent of households had no income whatsoever
A recent report – Preliminary Environmental Damage Assessment Report of the Israeli War on the Gaza Strip, 2023-2025, published by the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority (EQA), reported: ( -Report in Arabic, translation available on request)
Catastrophic Infrastructure Collapse
- 80%+ of water facilities destroyed – networks, pumping stations, main lines, tanks, wells
- 700,000 linear meters of water networks destroyed (main and branch lines)
- 134 of 214 water projects destroyed completely or partially
- Only 84 facilities operating at 15.5 m³/day capacity
- Production collapsed 84% – only 21,200 m³/day vs. 255,000 m³/day pre-war
- Water per capita: As low as 3 liters/day in northern Gaza (vs. WHO emergency minimum of 15 liters/day)
Wells & Infrastructure
- 162 of 284 wells destroyed completely or partially (93 severely damaged)
- 9 water tanks of various sizes destroyed
- 70% of Israeli supply lines to Gaza destroyed
- Of the 3 desalination plants, only one is fully operational, with one totally destroyed, and one only partially operational
- Current desalination: 18,500 m³/day (only 55% of pre-war capacity of 33,000 m³/day)
Groundwater Contamination
- -97% of groundwater already non-potable pre-war
- Chloride levels: 1,000 mg/L (WHO limit: 250 mg/L)
- Nitrate levels: Up to 400 mg/L (WHO limit: 50 mg/L)
- Water table: Dropped to -19 meters below sea level
- 120,000 m³/day of untreated sewage discharged into sea and land
Sewage Catastrophe
- All 6 wastewater treatment plants: Out of service (total capacity: 52 million m³/year)
- 120,000 m³/day of raw sewage discharged to sea and land
- Sewage network destruction causing groundwater contamination
- Beach water: High levels of intestinal parasites (Ascaris, Entamoeba, Giardia
Long term environmental impact
- Groundwater: Already 97% non-potable – will take generations to recover
In recent days OCHA has reported
- Heavy rains have damaged and overwhelmed water infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. To keep de-watering pumps operational, the humanitarian community is engaging with Israeli authorities to allow entry of specialized equipment.
- Flooding is often compounded by sewage overflow from damaged systems. Yet basic equipment like water pumps, sandbags, and construction materials such as timber and plywood needed to reinforce shelters and drainage are delayed or rejected under “dual-use” restrictions and bureaucratic clearance processes.
- 40% of the population are living in flood-prone areas
- Between 5 and 8 January, 36 WASH Cluster partners trucked 21,530 cubic metres (m3) of drinking water and 10,453 m3 of domestic water daily to displaced families through 2,350 water points across the Strip. This effort involves collecting water from three seawater desalination plants, up to 64 brackish water desalination plants, more than 100 groundwater wells, and deploying a fleet of 250 water trucks.
- On 8 January, the Cluster completed the installation of the Beit Lahia Desalination Plant. The plant consists of three units with a total production capacity of 35 m3 per hour and has begun distributing water to various areas across Beit Lahiya, in North Gaza Governorate.
- Critical challenges include severe limitations on fuel access for WASH services, which affect water production and distribution, solid waste management, stormwater management and repair activities. There is also a shortage of essential humanitarian items such as generators, reverse osmosis systems, and spare parts for pumps, generators and vehicles. Slow approvals for the entry of water reservoirs and pipes are preventing WASH actors from installing safe water collection points, forcing communities to collect water directly from water trucks.
- Heavy rains have damaged and overwhelmed water infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. To keep de-watering pumps operational, the humanitarian community is engaging with Israeli authorities to allow entry of specialized equipment.
- Flooding is often compounded by sewage overflow from damaged systems. Yet basic equipment like water pumps, sandbags, and construction materials such as timber and plywood needed to reinforce shelters and drainage are delayed or rejected under “dual-use” restrictions and bureaucratic clearance processes.
- 40% of the population are living in flood-prone areas.
