[…] At the same time, human rights organisations warn that the crisis is no longer merely a byproduct of war but has taken on a systematic nature.

According to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, “the lack of clean drinking water has become a matter of life or death” for civilians.

UN experts have also argued in a letter in July 2025 that what is happening goes beyond a conventional humanitarian crisis and falls within the use of essential resources as a tool of pressure.

The experts said the issue was not limited to infrastructure destruction, but also included cutting supplies, restricting fuel entry needed to operate water facilities, and obstructing repair and maintenance efforts.

“Israel’s blockade and destruction of civilian infrastructure has left most of Gaza’s two million residents displaced and without access to the minimum vital amount of drinking water,” the experts said.

This recurring pattern, combining direct targeting with sustained restrictions, has led to a deliberate reduction in the amount of water available to the population.

The UN experts warned that the “use of thirst as a weapon” has become a reality in Gaza, stressing that “cutting water and food is a silent but deadly bomb”.