REPORT: Water, Electricity and Fuel in Gaza: What Role Does Israel Play?

Does Israel withhold water from Gaza?

Before the massacres on October 7th, Israel only provided 9% of Gazan water supply through three separate pipelines— the rest was produced via pumping and desalinating water from the Mediterranean and an aquifer underneath the Gaza Strip. There are three desalination plants in Gaza which normally rely on the electrical grid to run. However, they all have access backup diesel generators or in the case of the EU-funded Southern Gaza Desalination Plant, solar panels. Israel is currently providing water to Gaza through its southern pipeline, pumping in enough water to give every resident 6.8 litres of water per day. In comparison, the Gazan-run water plants are only operating at a limited capacity. Aid shipments through the Rafah crossing from Egypt have brought in water.

Is Israel to Blame for Gaza's lack of electricity?

Before the war, Israel provided around 50% of Gazan electricity through a network of power lines that have since been cut off. According to customary and treaty laws of war, Israel has no legal obligation to provide electricity to the Gaza Strip, especially since it expects a considerable portion of any electricity to be used by Hamas to operate its terror tunnel network.

Within Gaza, there is a diesel-operated electrical plant and a widespread use of solar panel, which both produce around 25% of the Gaza Strip’s electrical needs. It is worth noting that Hamas has governed Gaza for over 17 years, but have opted not to invest in infrastructure which could provide a necessary level of electricity for its people.

Why has Israel cut off fuel shipments?

Israel has cut off fuel shipments to Gaza that could, in theory, run both generators for the desalination plants and the Gazan electrical plant, but such fuel shipments would only allow Hamas to continue a long war and put the civilians of Israel and Gaza at risk through terrorism. Noticeably, Hamas has already stockpiled between 850,000 and 1,000,000 litres of petroleum, storing it to fuel terror and war, rather than using it to provide for the needs of the Gazan civilians.

In another display of blatant disregard for the lives of its people, a tweet posted and quickly deleted by UNRWA, the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency, revealed that Hamas operatives had broken into a hospital and stolen fuel and medical equipment designated for its patients. If Israel were to allow the energy shipments to resume, it would simply be putting more capabilities in the hands of Hamas to terrorize the civilians of both Israel and Gaza.

Deleted tweets detailing Hamas’s attempts to steal aid from the people of Gaza.