Finding drinking water becomes a daily struggle in Gaza City

(17 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gaza city - 16 March 2025
1. People standing at the back of the water truck lining up water containers
2. Various of Gaza residents filling their water containers
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hanan Abo Daher, Gaza resident: ++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON SHOT1 AND IS OVERLAID BY SHOT 2++
"We don't see water here. Drinking water comes once a week and every other day we receive salty water that is not good for drinking. Water is a big problem here. We wish that water can be provided here, especially drinking water. The neighborhood is big with many habitants, so we need at least two trucks like this one every day"
4. Various of people filling water containers
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nehad Odwan, Gaza resident: ++SOUNDBITE STARTS ON PREVIOUS SHOT AND IS OVERLAID BY SHOT 6++
"We need to shower the children; we need to wash, drink and cook. The water they are bringing is no good, it is salty and can't be used for cooking, we wait for water to cook and drink, and every three days we get water once. This (lack of water) is too much, we need it every day, they need to consider the people's suffering, water is essential for life"
6. Various of people and containers lined up to fill containers
7. Various of man carrying containers filled with water walking
STORYLINE:
Palestinians in Gaza City are struggling to find regular supplies of fresh water, with many waiting for days to fill up makeshift water containers.

When a water aid truck parks up, long queues form and people walk long distances to get their hands on the essence of life.

"We don't see water here, drinking water comes once a week" said Hanan Abo Daher while waiting for water, adding "we wish that water can be provided here, especially drinking water"

For two weeks, Israel has barred the delivery of food, fuel and other supplies to Gaza's roughly two million Palestinians, and cut electricity to a desalination plant providing water to part of the territory a week ago to pressure Hamas to accept the ceasefire's second phase.

"We are suffering to eat, drink, find water and to live. For me to get water I need to walk for two kilometres to get it home; there is no water. For a week we didn't get water, this is the first time (this week)" said Gaza resident Ahmed Eissa.

The ceasefire's first phase that started on January 19 and ended on March 1st, saw the release of 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces pulled back to a buffer zone along Gaza's border and allowed humanitarian aid in.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, is warning that severe water shortages have reached critical levels, with only one in 10 people in Gaza able to access safe drinking water.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. Most have been released in deals, while Israel rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens more.

Israel's military offensive has killed over 48,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.

AP Video shot by Abdel Kareem Hana

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