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Using water as a weapon of war increases 17-fold since 2000

According to an article in the Guardian published yesterday, 2023 saw a dramatic increase in water-related violence, with nearly 350 incidents reported globally. That’s a 17-fold increase from just 20 incidents in 2000.

Areas affected included South America, India, and the Ukraine. However, the Middle East (largely in Palestine) accounted for a shocking 38% of all attacks globally.

The data has been recorded and published by the Water Conflict Chronology, founded by US thinktank; the Pacific Institute.

One of its co-founders, Peter Gleick, said, “All these cases highlight different aspects of the growing water crisis: the failure to enforce and respect international law; the failure to provide safe water and sanitation for all.”

The UN believes access to clean water and sanitation is a human right that is fundamental to a person’s health, prosperity, and dignity.

However, more than 2 billion people are still without such access. It’s a staggering figure that equates to a quarter of the world’s population.

Therefore, stopping or denying access to safe water violates international humanitarian law and the Geneva conventions, constituting a war crime, according to UN experts. **

Israeli regime crowned global leader of water-related violence

According to the report, a quarter of all worldwide attacks on water supplies took place by Israeli forces within Gaza and the West Bank. Such violence includes destruction and/or contamination of dams, water tanks, pipelines, and salination plants (data as to the end of 2023).

In 2023 alone, 90 separate attacks took place on Palestinian water supplies by Israeli forces and/or illegal settlers. This is the equivalent of more than 7 attacks every month.

Increases in settler violence since October 2023 has also seen incidents of illegal settlers pumping wastewater onto agricultural land destroying crops and olive trees.

A symbol of heritage and strength

Olive trees have long been a part of Palestinian heritage and identity, and a source of vital income for the limited remaining Palestinian farmers in the land. So much so, olive leaves are an integral part of the Keffiyeh scarf, and represents the perseverance, strength, and resilience of its people. I suspect, this is due to the harsh conditions that olive trees thrive in. Their longevity is also remarkable, with some surviving thousands of years.

Depending on the variety, an olive tree may take 3-5 years to start producing fruit, with some varieties taking as long as 12 years. Therefore, this intentional destruction is devastating, and will take many years to recover from.

A growing state of malevolence

It’s well-known that the occupying State of Israel has long-used whatever it can as weapons of war against the indigenous communities in Palestine. These heinous tactics have been taking place in various forms for over 70 years, from since before the Nakba in 1948.

It’s this exhausting, and never-ending persecution by the occupying forces throughout the generations, which has been instrumental to the remarkable resilience of the Palestinian people. Never before, has their strength, continued hope, and unfaltering faith been so visible to the world. During these past 10 months, admiration for the Palestinian people has soared on a global scale. While, the Israeli regime have always sought to cleanse Palestinians from the land, and weaken their resolve in the process, their wickedness has only made the Palestinian people, and their cause for freedom stronger.

However, there are still so many world nations, including our own, who continue to be complicit in these crimes against humanity.

While ‘collective punishment’ is illegal under international law, merely calling something illegal is easy, but imposing sanctions on the parties responsible seems to be another issue entirely.

World nations are yet to sanction the State of Israel for its blatant acts of genocide, just as so many did during the South African apartheid. Citizens around the world are waiting. We’re all waiting, and campaigning. However, the citizens of Gaza simply can’t wait.

They have NO time. They need our help NOW!

Water IS Life

A ‘healthy’ adult can typically survive for 3 days without water. Now, imagine that’s a child. It’s a ticking clock that will soon stop.

Now, imagine that child isn’t healthy. Perhaps, they’re weak from malnutrition and diarrhoea. How long do you think they have now? Yes, it’s a horrifying question, but please just consider it for a moment.

In October 2023, it was estimated that 97% of water in Gaza was unfit for human consumption.

Gaza’s water supply has been contaminated for many years. Only 6% of fresh water came into Gaza from Israel, prior to October 2023. The region’s main water source is a coastal aquifer; however, it poses a great danger to health if consumed. Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas on earth, and as a result, the aquifer can’t cope with the needs of population.

Around 97% is undrinkable; it’s salty, brackish, and contaminated by untreated wastewater and pollution.

The State of Israel took control of Palestine’s water supply back in 1967. Since then, they’ve kept a controlled chokehold on supply. 

While wealthy settlers have fun playing and swimming in their outdoor pools, with sprinklers watering their luscious gardens, only a short distance away families are restricted to only a few litres of water a day to survive on for their drinking, washing, and cooking needs.

It really is two worlds-apart.

In the past 10 months, the risk of disease has increased substantially in Gaza due to a lack of hygiene supplies, and clean accessible water.

Without clean water, you have only disease, and death. It’s a stark reality that we so often don’t think about. We take clean, running water for granted. The ability to shower or bathe ourselves for granted. The ability to wash our hands after using the bathroom for granted. The ability to wash our clothes, our towels, our bedding, our food for granted. The list goes on.

If you’ve ever fasted, you’ll know the amazing feeling of taking that first mouthful of water when breaking your fast. No words can describe just how good it feels. It’s the only thing we may truly crave if we’ve been fasting all day.

Water; it really is an essence of life that we’ve been blessed with.

But imagine unintentionally fasting because there’s just no food to eat, and no water to drink. Imagine that instead of the UK, you’re living in a hot and dusty war zone, where the air feels like it’s going to choke you, as the temperatures reach more than 30 degrees? Imagine, your mouth is so dry, you barely have enough saliva to swallow, yet you have no other option but to carry on.

This is the harrowing reality in Gaza, and of the 2 million+ people trying their best to survive there; every, single, day.

Our Promise

With the assistance of our established partners on the ground in Gaza, Forgotten Women has been providing humanitarian assistance each week, since the start of the current Gaza emergency. During this time, we have successfully delivered tons of food, water, shelter, and hygiene supplies, in addition to providing vital medical aid to hundreds of patients each week with our mobile medical unit.

Despite the challenging conditions, our female led team continues to distribute aid vulnerable women and their families throughout Gaza.

Forgotten Women will not abandon the civilian population of Gaza in their hour of need. We will continue to make every effort to reach as many people as possible, with as much humanitarian aid as possible.

If you’d like to support the work we do in Gaza, then please click HERE.