Water Authority faces a number of challenges impeding its capacity to implement the urgent interventions, the most important of which are:
- The Complete power supply cut-off to the Gaza Strip, as cases of power outage, and shortage of fuel disrupted the operation of wastewater and water facilities making it fully dependent on limited available fuel supply.
- On ground security risks in the context of transportation and staff movement, as it resulted in many injuries and fatalities among our colleagues working in the wastewater and water sector during their work. The most recent incident of which occurred on March 24, 2025 when three were killed east of Khan Yunis governorate during their relief tasks.
- Frequent disruption on Mekorot water connections, the recent one was water connection in Gaza city which was disabled due to a partial destruction of the supply line on April 4, 2025 during the military escalation. This also included the supply line of Mekorot water in the central governorate which has been out of service for more than two months since Jan. 22, 2025, as well as the connection supplying the town of Khuza’a. These disruptions have resulted in challenging efforts to rehabilitate the lines, compounded by the difficulty of obtaining the necessary materials and equipment.
- The complexity and lack of clarity in the process of obtaining security coordination for the safety of staff and equipment in the working sites. The occupation refused to grant the permits, and coordination required to the maintenance of pipelines located in the middle governorate, known as buffer zone.
- The ongoing large scale forced displacement leading to increase pressure on water sources and waste water facilities in specific areas.
- Destroying specific headquarters for the Water Authority, in addition to destroying their storages of spare parts and maintenance, and targeting the storages, materials, machines and equipment related to local service providers as targeting central warehouse for the benefit of Coastal Municipality Water Utility (CMWU).
- The scale of destruction caused to water and sanitation infrastructure, the difficulty of bringing in fuel to operate the generators, in addition to the halt in the supply of spare parts for maintenance and necessary materials. Recently, and after Israel’s decision to ban the entrance of humanitarian assistance, the fuel became almost non-existent in Gaza, in parallel with the depletion of construction materials from the local market.
- Difficulties resulting from the accumulated rubble, and extensive destruction in the infrastructure.
