Israel Shuts Down Most Desalination Plants After Extreme Weather Increases Seawater Turbidity

People try to use shower facilities at a beach in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sept. 1, 2026. Most beach showers here have been turned off due to water supply restrictions. Five of Israel's six desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast were shut down again on Tuesday, disrupting drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation, according to government statements and local media reports. In Tel Aviv, authorities restricted water use for irrigation and beach showers, urging residents to conserve water. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua) Five of Israel's six desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast were shut down again on Tuesday, disrupting drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation, according to government statements and local media reports. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure said most plants were shut down again on Tuesday morning after re-operating overnight because extreme weather had increased seawater turbidity, making desalination difficult. It noted that such a phenomenon has not been seen in Israel in the last 20 years. The desalination stations went offline on Saturday due to high turbidity caused by microalgae carried to Israel's southern coast by waves. The Israel National Cyber Directorate said that the incident was not the result of a cyberattack targeting critical infrastructure, stressing that the malfunction was caused solely by unusual weather conditions affecting the region in recent days, which led to changes in the water's composition and quality Local authorities were instructed to reduce water use for public gardens and irrigation in agriculture. Several Jerusalem neighborhoods experienced prolonged water outages, while alternative supplies and public water taps were provided. In Tel Aviv, authorities restricted water use for irrigation and beach showers, urging residents to conserve water. Israel's Farmers Federation called for urgent government action, warning that disruptions during the growing season could seriously damage vegetables and orchards nearing harvest, potentially affecting hundreds of farms. Israel's Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Israel has sufficient water supplies and that authorities would ensure regular supplies to homes. He added that efforts were also underway to increase pumping and drilling from the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater lake in northern Israel. A woman tries to use a shower facility at a beach in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sept. 1, 2026. Most beach showers here have been turned off due to water supply restrictions. Five of Israel's six desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast were shut down again on Tuesday, disrupting drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation, according to government statements and local media reports. In Tel Aviv, authorities restricted water use for irrigation and beach showers, urging residents to conserve water. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

Auron Zasak, the general director of the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, revealed the reason for the closure of 5 out of 6 desalination plants two days ago. In statements to The Times of Israel, Zasak said that diatoms originating from the Nile Delta region in Egypt moved northward toward the Israeli coast due to wave action, causing extreme turbidity in the sea water, which led authorities to shut down the plants. The plants that were stopped included Sorek A, Sorek B, Palalim, Ashdod, and Ashkelon, while the Khyzir plant remained operating, linked to its geographic location in central Israel, relatively distant from the influence of water coming from the south. The Israeli Water Authority had previously announced that the shutdowns were due to extreme turbidity in sea water connected to weather conditions, while Israeli sources ruled out the possibility that the outage was the result of a cyberattack. Water security Desalination plants play a central role in ensuring drinking water in Israel. The stoppage of most plants at once reveals one aspect of potential weakness in a system that relies heavily on a single water source, even if that source has a large production capacity. - Morocco faces drought with investments in desalination - 3.3% shrinkage… Israel’s economy declines amid the Iran war in the first quarter The incident also brought environmental concerns about seawater quality back to the fore, as algae or pollutants can affect desalination processes, especially the membranes used in reverse osmosis systems, which require water with specific characteristics to maintain operational efficiency. The dangerous dependence on desalination In addition, the environmental defense organization Adam Teva V’Din warned of a “dangerous” government policy that relies almost entirely on desalination plants to provide drinking water. In a statement, the organization noted: “While the state invests billions in physical protection and cyber security around desalination facilities, there is almost complete neglect of critical threats, foremost maritime pollution, whether natural or man-made, which can immediately affect water supplies, as we are seeing today.” The organization accused authorities of neglecting the most important natural emergency reservoir for water—the groundwater—stating that “drinking water wells are being shut one after another due to pollution without efforts to treat it, while the draft structural plan for rehabilitating groundwater basins under the Water Authority awaits government approval.” Warnings about sewage water In turn, specialists such as Gedion Bromberg from Ecopeace Middle East and Professor Nadav Davidovitch, a public health physician and epidemiologist, have repeatedly warned in the past about the impact that untreated sewage flowing from Gaza into the sea could have on desalination plants, especially since the filtration membranes in those plants are extremely sensitive. In a statement issued by Ecopeace: “Despite the complex situation, there is a need for full cooperation between the Israeli government, the Peace Council—Initiative from the United States—and the Palestinian water authorities to expedite the repair of wastewater treatment plants in Gaza, in order to protect Israel’s water security among other things.”

Israeli and other Hebrew-language media confirmed that several seawater desalination plants in the occupying state of Israel were disabled due to what they described as a “mysterious phenomenon,” leading to disruptions in water supplies. Initial investigations conducted by researchers at the Israeli Institute of Oceanography and Lakes Research revealed that the “increase in turbidity of the Mediterranean Sea water, which shut down most of the desalination plants in Israel in recent days, is likely due to widespread proliferation of microalgae believed to originate from the Nile Delta region.” Samples and tests The “mysterious phenomenon,” according to the Hebrew site i24news, caused the shutdown of five desalination plants: Ashdod, Ashkelon, Sorek 1, Sorek 2, and Pelmahim, with the expectation that all plants will resume operation soon. Because of the five plant outages, the occupation authorities implemented measures to reduce water consumption, including stopping irrigation of fields in the south and suspending watering of public gardens in several areas. Israeli Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohn asserted that “the water sector in Israel is solid, and authorities have worked to ensure continued water supplies despite the damage caused by weather conditions and disruptions at desalination plants.” The site noted that “part of the problem lies in the fact that the algae in question are very small, allowing them to pass through some water filters at the entrances of desalination plants.” The report also highlighted that the algae bloom is natural and affected by several factors, including weather, currents, and the amount of organic matter in the water. The bloom typically lasts for a defined period before subsiding, while the organic matter produced during it decomposes in the water. To confirm the algae’s source and identify the species involved, researchers are conducting sampling and genetic analyses to determine their characteristics and whether they produce toxic substances. Institute researchers collected samples from several areas, including the Ashkelon coast and the Pelmahim area, to identify the algae species and study their properties and origin. Satellite images also showed widespread algae growth in the Nile Delta region. Researchers noted that the marine currents in the eastern Mediterranean transport various materials from the Nile region, including sands and organic matter, making it likely that the algae reached the southern coasts (occupied Palestine). Water reserves. Aharon Zask, the institute’s director-general, claimed that “the arrival of algae that proliferated in the delta region to southern Israel is not surprising,” noting that “Ashkelon plant was the first to stop operating and is the largest in the south.” He explained that the spread of the phenomenon may be affected by other factors, including water depth, noting that each desalination plant draws water from a different part of the Mediterranean; some rely on shallower waters while others rely on deeper areas. Researchers continue to monitor satellite images and analyze their data, along with field studies and sampling of algae and culturing them in the laboratory to understand their properties and origin more precisely. Experts warned that the phenomenon highlights the need to strengthen water reserves in the occupying state, increase desalination plant output, and preserve natural water sources such as the Sea of Galilee and groundwater for use in emergencies. Professor David Katz of the Environmental Sciences Faculty at Haifa University said: “Algae are always present in the Nile Delta, but what distinguishes the current situation is their large quantities arriving in coastal areas in a wide wave.” Katz added that other factors may increase water turbidity, including sands and sewage, and the coincidence of these factors led to desalination plant shutdowns in southern Israel. According to experts, there is no practical way to completely prevent algal blooms, but their impact can be reduced through early satellite image monitoring and tracking water movement, as well as maintaining sufficient water reserves. TEXT_2 TRANSLATION: Desalination plants in Israel are disrupted, raising concerns about a water crisis.

A miles-long microalgae bloom in the Mediterranean Sea has been blamed for temporarily knocking offline many of Israel’s major desalination plants this week, threatening its main source of drinking water. Five of the country’s six coastal desalination plants — which convert seawater into drinkable water — shut down on Sunday, according to Mekorot, Israel’s national water company. Since then, some of these facilities, which are privately owned and operated, have partially resumed operations, but only one was operating at full capacity on Thursday. “An event of this kind has never occurred before in Israel … it was an extremely rare event,” said Lior Gutman, a spokesperson for Mekorot, although he stressed in roughly 99% of cases, there has been no drinking water shortage. Still, it’s an alarming situation given the country’s heavy dependence on desalination for drinking water. Israel is arid and has neither big rivers nor abundant rainfall, but its mastery of this technology has made it a water superpower. Desalination now provides at least 65% of its drinking water, with most plants located on the Mediterranean coast. The problems started at the weekend, as a “sporadic, vast event of contaminates occurred across the Israeli coastline,” said Edo Bar-Zeev, an associate professor in water research at Ben-Gurion University, in Israel. When he and other scientists looked closer, they discovered it was microalgae, tiny organisms that feed on sunlight, carbon dioxide and nutrients in the water — and which can grow rapidly. The microalgae bloom — stretching more than a dozen miles at least, according to Bar-Zeev — is believed to have originated in the Nile Delta and traveled northward with the sea’s currents up Israel’s coast. This is “the first time I saw something in this extent,” said Bar-Zeev, who has been testing the coastal water for 20 years. The country’s desalination facilities mostly use a technology called “reverse osmosis,” where water is pre-treated to remove larger contaminants, before it’s pushed through membranes which filter out salt, bacteria and other molecules to leave clean drinking water. ⛅ Get CNN Weather in your inbox - The forecast is just the beginning. We’ll send you expert coverage and the stories behind the weather — so you always know more than just the number. Sign up for the newsletter Algae, and the substances they produce, can foul and damage the membranes, said Michael Christopher Low, director of the Middle East Center at the University of Utah. If there’s too much suspended material in the water, the treatment processes cannot keep up. It’s happened before. A severe “red tide” — a harmful algae bloom — in the Gulf of Oman in 2008 and 2009 affected many desalination plants in that region. In Israel, the government water system has “stepped in to close the gap” caused by the plant closures, Mekorot’s Gutman said. This has included pumping water from the Sea of Galilee, activating groundwater wells and using national water reserves. Some cities have faced short-term local restrictions, including on garden irrigation and filling swimming pools, but the the main limitations affected farmers who use drinking water-quality water for irrigation, as opposed to those who use recycled water, Gutman said. The timing compounded the problem. It happened in summer “when water demand in Israel is at its highest,” he said, adding “the situation has been challenging.” A bloom occurs when the right combination of environmental factors in the water come together that allow the algae to grow rapidly, said Tamar Guy-Haim, a marine ecologist at the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute. These include nutrients, temperature, light, currents and mixing. Mekorot said this recent bloom was part of “very unusual combination of factors,” including a sea storm that increased turbidity — the amount of suspended matter in the water — and raised sea temperatures to 86 Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) and above. The extent of the disruption is striking. Desalination facilities have been forced to close before due to algae or jellyfish, “but multiple facilities over the large portion of our coast is something that is definitely abnormal,” Ben-Zeev said. It’s something the country needs to figure out how to deal with — and will, he added. “It’s a fair estimation that this will not be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of event … you can assume that this will occur more and more through climate change.” As the planet heats up, driven by humans burning fossil fuels, the oceans are changing. Temperatures are at record highs, currents are shifting and stronger storms wash more pollutants into the water, including sewage and fertilizers, which can trigger huge algae blooms. This temporary crisis also exposes a broader concern, experts say. Desalination is becoming increasingly popular, especially as the climate crisis drives more severe heat and drought, undermining water security. But this growing dependence on a centralized, technical solution carries risks. “This event is causing considerable alarm and even some criticism that the system is too vulnerable to a dramatic disruption,” Low said. This could be natural or climate change-driven events, but there’s also the possibility of military and cyber threats. Desalination plants in the Gulf have been targeted and damaged during the US-Iran war, raising significant alarm in a region that depends overwhelmingly on this technology. Hackers have also targeted water facilities, including in the US. Oil spills are another big concern. “It’s not if, it’s just when an oil spill in the vicinity of desalination facilities will occur,” Ben-Zeev said. A lot of plants are in water-scarce countries that are also big oil producers, such as the Gulf states. A spill could potentially take plants offline for a much longer time than this microalgae bloom, he added. “That to me is way more worrying.”

Israel’s desalination crisis threatens 20,000 dunams of vegetable crops Five of the country’s six desalination plants south of Hadera were shut down Tuesday morning because of unusually turbid seawater, putting farmers near the Egyptian border under immediate pressure. The water crisis continued Tuesday morning, with five of the six desalination plants along Israel’s coastline south of Hadera shut down because of unusually high turbidity in seawater, caused in part by microalgae drifting from the Nile region of Egypt. The shutdown is threatening approximately 20,000 dunams of vegetable crops in Nitzana near the Egyptian border. The area produces roughly 2 million tons of vegetables, according to the Ramat Negev Regional Council. The collapse of the desalination system has created a severe water shortage in Nitzana, where dozens of farmers rely on desalinated water for 80%-90% of their supply. Farmers in the area have completed planting tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants and other vegetables over the past two weeks. They are now entering a critical stage that requires approximately 1,500 cubic meters of water per hour for irrigation. But Mekorot was supplying only 300-500 cubic meters per hour Tuesday morning. “If water is not pumped in the coming hours, like injecting oxygen into a patient, the entire season will collapse,” Eran Doron, head of the Ramat Negev Regional Council, told Calcalist. “There will be no vegetables, the cost of living will rise, and dozens of farming families will enter a huge economic crisis, following loans they took out towards the start of the season.” Doron said the crisis poses a broader threat beyond the farmers themselves. “This is a real threat of harm to food security, the cost of living and the supply of fresh food production in Israel, as well as harm to the livelihoods of farmers and the economic future of the region,” he said. The crisis began after five of the six desalination plants along the coast were shut down because of the abnormal turbidity. The Hadera plant remained operational, while the desalination plants at Sorek, near Palmachim, resumed operations for several hours overnight before being shut down again Tuesday morning. The Water Authority has defined the event as exceptional and is examining whether it was caused by rough seas in recent days combined with a large drift of algae from the Nile region. Its assessment is based, among other things, on an analysis of satellite images. The authority said it would continue monitoring the spread of the algae in the seawater. Because of their small size, the algae could penetrate the filters used by the desalination plants. Following the unusual event, Mekorot instructed that the supply of fresh water to farmers in southern Israel be halted, leaving them without an immediate alternative source of water. The Water Authority and Mekorot have also instructed water corporations in local authorities to reduce water consumption in public spaces, including the watering of gardens and lawns. The restrictions do not apply to household water consumption. According to the authorities, the water flowing through the domestic supply network remains safe to drink, and no directive has been issued to store water.

Israel's water crisis drags on as desalination plants remain largely shut Four days into the crisis, two major desalination plants remain offline and two others are operating at half capacity. Officials are relying on increased pumping from the Sea of Galilee and hundreds of wells to maintain supplies. On the fourth day of Israel's water crisis and the shutdown of most of the desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast, it is becoming clear that Energy Minister Eli Cohen's statements on Wednesday about an imminent end to the crisis and a return of the water sector to full operation were premature. As of 3 p.m., the desalination plants in Ashdod and Ashkelon remain shut down, as they have been since the beginning of the incident. According to the Energy Minister, the Sorek A plant has returned to operation. The Palmachim and Sorek B desalination plants are currently operating at half capacity, after being shut down for periods since the beginning of the crisis. The Hadera desalination plant has continued to operate normally throughout the crisis. According to estimates by a senior water sector official, the area affected by the turbidity in the seawater, caused by an unusual drift of microalgae from Egypt's Nile Delta, stretches for about 100 kilometers and is approximately 7 kilometers wide. The official said the Palmachim and Sorek B plants are operating at half capacity as part of a risk-management strategy, avoiding full-scale seawater intake that could clog their filtration systems and damage them. As a result, facilities that are normally capable of producing about 18,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per hour are currently producing only half that amount. A senior government official involved in managing the crisis told Calcalist: "There is no expectation that it will end soon, since the level of turbidity depends on the wind regime and sea currents." Minister Cohen said the country's water system remains stable and that there is no shortage for consumers. However, as the crisis continues, Mekorot has quadrupled the volume of water it is pumping from the Sea of Galilee. The daily volume now exceeds 1 million cubic meters, even though the lake's water level is below the red line. The national water company is also pumping water from about 1,000 wells and boreholes across the country, while dozens of older boreholes reserved for emergency use are also being activated with the approval of the Ministry of Health. During the night, when water consumption is lower, Mekorot pumped large quantities of water into its reservoirs in an effort to strengthen its ability to supply consumers across the country, including agricultural communities in remote areas.

Gift this articleShare to FacebookPrint article Article printing is available to subscribers only Print in a simple, ad-free format Subscribe Comments: SaveZen Reading Zen reading is available to subscribers only Ad-free and in a comfortable reading format Subscribe !Amira Hass Amira Hass September 01, 2026 Gadi Eisenkot, the election frontrunner and leader of the Yashar party, has a stance on a Palestinian state that is ultimately irrelevant. What is at stake today is not a "diplomatic solution," but the very existence of the Palestinian people between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The Israeli forces striving to "erase" them recognize no limits or restraints. Their supporters are too numerous for us to rely solely on the steadfastness and resilience of a people that has already endured expulsion plans carried out by Israel. Loading... Click the alert icon to follow topics: FollowIsrael settlers FollowPalestinians FollowIsrael occupation FollowWest Bank FollowTwo-state solution Comments Your Perspective Belongs Here Want to reply? Subscribe to join the conversation SUBSCRIBE Already signed up? Log in Loading... In the News In the News: Live UpdatesIran-U.S.West BankSara NetanyahuGazaAda YonathJohn GallianoDesalinationHaQuizHaaretz Podcast ICYMI Trending Now Trending Now Trending Now Trending Now Trending Now ICYMI

Current section Print in a simple, ad-free format Israel's desalination crisis exposes the consequences of destroying Gaza's sewage system, refusing to let it be rebuilt and failing to prepare Israel's own water economy for a worsening climate crisis For several days, Israel has faced an unprecedented environmental crisis: A sudden, massive algal bloom in the Current section Print in a simple, ad-free format Israel's desalination crisis exposes the consequences of destroying Gaza's sewage system, refusing to let it be rebuilt and failing to prepare Israel's own water economy for a worsening climate crisis For several days, Israel has faced an unprecedented environmental crisis: A sudden, massive algal bloom in the Haaretz.com, the online English edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, gives you breaking news, analyses and opinions about Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.© Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved Your Perspective Belongs Here Want to reply? Subscribe to join the conversation Already signed up?Log in

- i24NEWS - Israel - Environment - Water disruptions across Israel after desalination plants shut down Water disruptions across Israel after desalination plants shut down “Problems in the national water-supply network are continuing, and there is currently no estimate for a return to normal service" Severe water-supply disruptions were reported across Israel on Tuesday after unusual seawater turbidity forced five of the country’s six desalination plants to suspend operations. Residents in several cities, including Jerusalem and Be’er Sheva, reported low water pressure and localized outages. Municipal water providers urged the public to conserve water and limit consumption to essential needs. “Problems in the national water-supply network are continuing, and there is currently no estimate for a return to normal service,” the Mei Givatayim water corporation said. “We ask the public to act responsibly, reduce water consumption as much as possible and use water only for essential needs until further notice.” Authorities believe the elevated turbidity may have been caused by microscopic algae drifting from the Nile region. Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen described the event as an unusual natural phenomenon not seen in Israel for two decades. “The State of Israel has a resilient water system, and we will ensure a regular supply of water to homes throughout the country,” Cohen said. “The phenomenon has significantly increased seawater turbidity and forced most desalination facilities to shut down.” Cohen said authorities had authorized additional facilities to begin operating and increased water extraction from the Sea of Galilee and groundwater wells. To maintain household supplies, officials reduced water allocations for agriculture and the irrigation of public spaces. The measure has placed additional pressure on farms, particularly in southern Israel and the Negev. Agriculture and Food Security Ministry Director General Oren Lavie described the situation as exceptional and warned that extended irrigation interruptions could cause lasting damage. “For farmers, water use cannot simply be postponed,” Lavie said. “With certain crops, particularly young seedlings, greenhouse produce and other sensitive crops, prolonged interruptions can cause irreversible damage within a short time.” The Agriculture Ministry has begun dispatching emergency water tankers to dairy farms in Kibbutz Gezer and Moshav Matzliah. Amid concerns about crop losses ahead of the Tishrei holidays, the Farmers’ Association called on the government to compensate growers for economic damage sustained during the peak of the growing season. The Agriculture Ministry, Israel Water Authority and national water company Mekorot are continuing to assess the situation and develop targeted assistance for affected farms. Officials said their priority was to protect household water supplies while preventing disruptions to the country’s fresh-food supply.

Exceptional weather conditions caused severe turbidity in the seawater and led to the temporary shutdown of desalination plants located south of Hadera. As a result, residents in the Judaean Foothills and southern Israel were asked to prepare for the possibility of water outages. In the community of Karmei Yosef, a notice has already been sent directly to residents: “Due to a nationwide malfunction in the water supply, a water outage is expected in the community. Please prepare accordingly and stock up on water in advance. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and patience." The Water Authority confirmed the details and said that the deterioration in seawater quality necessitated the temporary suspension of operations at some of the facilities. As an additional measure, it was decided to reduce the supply of fresh water designated for agriculture in the south. The Ramat Negev Regional Council said that due to “serious malfunctions in the national desalination system," and following a situation assessment with the Mekorot water company and the Water Authority, all farmers in the region were instructed to completely cease irrigation for several hours. At the same time, private residents were also asked to refrain from watering private gardens and open green spaces during the coming hours. The Water Authority reiterated that despite the severe turbidity in the sea, the national water system continues to operate normally, with Mekorot providing an immediate response by increasing the use of all available water-production resources. Professional officials are continuously monitoring water-quality indicators with the aim of returning the facilities to full operation as soon as the clarity of the seawater improves. The shutdown of the facilities prompted concerns about the possibility of a cyberattack, particularly in light of previous attempts to target water infrastructure in Israel and around the world. However, an industry official clarified that “this is not a cyber incident." Earlier this month, following reports in the United States of a cyberattack attributed to Iran against water systems in seven states, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate said that numerous Iranian attempts to attack Israel’s water sector are recorded as part of the daily emergency routine, but stressed that “significant harm in the cyber domain" had been prevented.

Israel’s water crisis is undergoing extraordinary developments after most desalination plants were disrupted again due to an unprecedented increase in the turbidity of the Mediterranean Sea water, causing disruptions to water supplies and raising official concerns about the crisis’ impact on the agriculture sector, food production, and prices in markets. These developments come at a time when Israel relies heavily on desalinated seawater to meet a significant portion of its water needs, making prolonged outages at desalination plants a supply-chain pressure factor, especially in areas dependent on regular water pumping to meet residents’ needs and agricultural activities. Water crisis in Israel hits desalination plants. Most desalination plants stopped operating due to rising turbidity levels of the Mediterranean Sea, while the Hilfiya (Hebrew: Khadera) desalination plant continued operating during the crisis. The stopping of desalination plants is a development that concerns because of the role these facilities play in providing water for various uses, whether for domestic consumption or economic and agricultural sectors. The shutdown of a large number of plants raised concerns about the continued regularity of water supplies, especially if the conditions that caused the turbidity rise persist, which could extend the disruption period and heighten pressure on available resources. Israeli authorities stressed that what is happening is not the result of a cyberattack or electronic intrusion into the infrastructure, but rather the substantial rise in Mediterranean Sea turbidity, which affected most desalination plants’ ability to continue operating normally. Warnings about the impact of the water crisis on agriculture. The effects of Israel’s water crisis are not limited to drinking water supplies; concerns extended to the agricultural sector, which primarily depends on the regularity of irrigation to safeguard crops. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security warned that continuing water shortages could cause significant damage to farmers, especially in southern Israel and the Negev, where water is essential for ongoing agricultural activity. The warnings indicated that stopping irrigation for an extended period could lead to irrecoverable losses in several crops, as well as vegetables and products produced in greenhouses. The gravity increases as the water shortage persists since some crops require regular irrigation on a set schedule, and any long disruption in supply could affect product quality and yield. Impact of water shortage on food production. The shortage crisis raises growing concerns about farmers’ ability to maintain usual production levels, especially given warnings that some crops could suffer damage that would be difficult to compensate for if irrigation stops continue. Local agricultural production is a key part of the system supplying vegetables and fresh products in markets, so a decline in production could reduce supply, which in turn could add pressure on prices. The repercussions of water shortage are not limited to farmers themselves; they can extend to the entire food supply chain, starting from production, through transport and distribution, to markets and consumers. If disruptions persist for a long period, some agricultural products may experience reduced supply, raising fears of higher prices for fresh foods and products. Declining water pressure raises concerns in Beersheba. The effects of supply disruptions became tangible in Beersheba, where residents in several neighborhoods reported a noticeable drop in water pressure, along with disruptions in supply. Conditions gradually improved in some areas, but authorities warned that disruptions could spread to other regions if pressures on the water system continue. Areas where concerns about disruption affecting them were raised include Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank, reflecting the broad scope of worries about water supply stability. The drop in water pressure increases public anxiety, especially if desalination plant problems persist longer, as authorities monitor developments and the possibility of returning plants to normal operation. Why did desalination plants shut down? The current crisis is linked to rising turbidity levels in the Mediterranean Sea, which affected most desalination plants’ ability to continue operating. Desalination processes require suitable operating conditions; any exceptional rise in turbidity can pose a challenge to plant operations, as clearly shown by the stoppage of most plants while the Hilfiya desalination plant continued to operate. Israeli authorities denied any link between plant outages and a cyberattack, confirming that the cause is related to unusual sea water conditions. This means dealing with the crisis primarily depends on changes in sea water conditions and the plants’ ability to resume activity, along with managing available resources during the disruption. Concerns about rising prices of fresh products. Agriculture is one of the sectors most vulnerable to ongoing water shortages, so current worries focus on the crisis’ impact on vegetable and crop production. Officials warn that a prolonged crisis could lead to losses in agricultural production, especially for crops requiring regular water and unable to tolerate extended irrigation stoppages. If domestic production declines, some products may become scarcer in markets, potentially leading to higher prices for fresh produce due to pressure on supply. These concerns gain importance as consumers rely more on local agricultural products, since any disruption in production can quickly reflect in markets, especially if the problem persists and water supplies do not return to normal levels. Potential impacts on agricultural areas. Agricultural areas, particularly in southern Israel and the Negev, face greater risks due to farmers’ reliance on regular irrigation. A farmer’s ability to cope with water shortages varies by crop type and production conditions, but continued irrigation stoppages could cause direct harm to plants and crops, as well as financial losses for farmers due to reduced or damaged yields. Impacts could also extend to greenhouses that rely on regular irrigation systems to maintain production conditions, making any long water disruption a critical concern for growers. Is the Israel water crisis linked to a cyberattack? Israeli authorities stated that desalination plant outages and water supply disruptions are not the result of a cyberattack, but rather stem from the significant rise in Mediterranean Sea turbidity. This clarification comes amid the sensitivity of water infrastructure and its importance, as any wide-scale malfunction could raise questions about its causes, but the official explanation ties the crisis to water conditions affecting desalination plants. As the situation continues to unfold, the key factor remains how quickly the halted plants can resume operations and the water system can sustain supplies for residents and various sectors. Future of water supplies amid the crisis. The downstream effects of Israel’s water crisis will largely depend on how long sea turbidity remains high and the desalination plants’ ability to resume operations. Protecting water supplies for the agricultural sector remains a major challenge, especially in areas where authorities warned of heavy losses if irrigation stoppages persist. Water prices remain a key issue given the potential impact on local production. The current developments demonstrate how interconnected multiple sectors are with the stability of the water system, as the crisis’ effects extend beyond households to agriculture, food production, markets, and prices. Conclusion: Israel’s water crisis is advancing rapidly after most desalination plants stopped due to unprecedented turbidity in the Mediterranean Sea, while the Hilfiya desalination plant continued operating. As disturbances in water pressure appeared in Beersheba neighborhoods and warnings were issued about possible spread to other areas, concerns grow about the crisis’ impact on agriculture, especially in southern Israel and the Negev. There are also concerns about crops, vegetables, and greenhouses suffering irrecoverable losses if irrigation halts persist, potentially reducing domestic production and raising prices for fresh produce. Restoring desalination plants to full operation and stabilizing water supplies remain the two most important factors in determining the crisis’ broader impact in the coming period, especially given ongoing fears about effects on the agriculture sector and food prices. Visit our official Facebook page below. Al Alam Al Nujum (Chaos of Stars) Newspaper. Follow us to receive all the latest updates.

The Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure reported that most desalination plants were shut down on Wednesday morning due to an increase in the turbidity of seawater, after continuing to operate overnight. In accordance with the directions of the water sector, local authorities will reduce public agricultural and gardening activities and will work to decrease public water consumption. Authorities indicated that water supply to homes will continue normally. The scope of operations in areas with localized problems will be reduced, and the Water Authority’s Operations Center will provide targeted assistance at those locations. On JNS en Español we bring you the most important news from Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, directly to your cell phone. The Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure reported that most desalination plants were shut down on Wednesday morning due to an increase in the turbidity of seawater, after continuing to operate overnight. In accordance with the directives of the water sector, local authorities will reduce public agricultural and gardening activities and will work to decrease public water consumption. Authorities indicated that water supply to households will continue normally. The scope of operations in areas with localized problems will be reduced, and the Water Authority Operations Center will provide specific assistance at those locations. On JNS en Español we bring you the most important news from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, directly to your cell phone. Jerusalem News Syndicate (JNS) is the fastest-growing news agency covering Israel and the Jewish world. © 2026 JNS. All rights reserved.

Israeli Claims: Egyptian Turbidity Hinders Water Desalination An Israeli media outlets claimed that a wave of turbidity coming from the direction of the Egyptian coasts caused disruption to Israel’s water system, after 5 of the 6 sea water desalination plants halted, amid warnings of potential impacts on supply and agriculture. Preliminary investigations conducted by researchers at the Israeli Institute for Marine and Lake Research suggested that the increase in turbidity of the Mediterranean Sea is likely linked to a broad bloom of microalgae, believed to originate from the Nile Delta region, according to their assertion. Conversely, Israel’s Water Authority estimated that turbidity could also be related to stormy weather conditions in the eastern Mediterranean. The shutdowns affected the Ashdod, Ashkelon, Shorek 1, Shorek 2, and Balmahim plants, while the Kedron (Khaled), Hadera, and Eilat plants continued operating. Shorek 1 and Shorek 2 returned to service by Monday evening, with expectations to restart Balmahim and Ashdod after improved water clarity. A fresh turbidity surge that reached the shore on Tuesday morning caused most plants to halt again, except for the Haifa plant, according to the Jerusalem Post. Authorities in Israel dispatched a vessel to the sea to collect samples and analyze the turbidity-causing materials. Water Restrictions and Warnings of Disruptions to Water Supply The crisis pushed Israel’s water authorities and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure to reduce water use in agriculture and horticulture, while Mekorot was asked to increase the use of available production sources and drilling to compensate for the shortfall. Israeli authorities warned of possible disruptions or outages in water supplies in several areas including Jerusalem, Givatayim, Rishon LeZion, and Sdot, and urged residents to conserve and limit usage to essential needs. The Gazit Regional Council also imposed restrictions on watering gardens and agricultural zones. According to the Hebrew newspaper, the crisis in Natanya (Netsana) threatens about 20,000 dunams of vegetable crops, with warnings about impacts on farmers, food security, and production costs. The Jerusalem Post reported that authorities confirmed continued water supply to homes, while addressing local issues, and that efforts are underway to restart the plants as turbidity diminishes. The crisis underscores its significance for Israel due to its heavy reliance on seawater desalination to supply a substantial portion of drinking water, household use, and agriculture, as the Hebrew newspaper also noted.

A new humanitarian crisis is looming in the Gaza Strip after Israel cut water supplies to its residents, adding a “crisis of thirst and lack of drinking water” to a long list of crises caused by the war, amid fears of serious consequences for civilian lives. In detail, Israel’s water utility Mekorot halted water supplies to the Gaza Strip, coinciding with a crisis of “worsening” water treatment plant disruptions in Israel, which aggravated the water shortage affecting about one million Palestinians in the enclave, according to UNICEF. According to the Haaretz newspaper, the stoppage comes at a time when Israeli desalination plants are facing “disturbances” linked to an unusually high turbidity in the Mediterranean Sea, amid debate among experts and environmental groups about the factors behind the bloom of phytoplankton in the sea. The water shortage is intensifying the crisis in Gaza. The current water flow from Israel accounts for about a third of Gaza’s water supply, while the rest depends on groundwater pumping and desalination plants within the enclave. The halt in Israeli supplies has increased pressure on Gaza’s residents, at a time when the water and sanitation infrastructure has suffered extensive damage due to the war, according to Haaretz. Five of Israel’s six desalination plants had shut down on Tuesday for the second time in a matter of days, after the unusual rise in sea-water turbidity made the water unsuitable for desalination, resulting in the loss of about 80% of Israel’s desalinated water supplies, the Hebrew newspaper reported. As the shortage worsened, humanitarian organizations intensified water pumping and purification efforts in Gaza, while supplies from Israel did not resume partially until after noon on Wednesday. Extensive damage to Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure A great deal of water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza was damaged, destroyed, or rendered inoperable during the war, including most desalination plants, pumps, wells, and water networks throughout the enclave. In 2025, Gaza’s water supplies nearly collapsed, forcing most residents to rely on water tankers operated by relief organizations. Clean drinking water has thus become one of the main factors exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the enclave, especially in the internally displaced persons camps, amid rising risks linked to hunger and disease, according to Haaretz. Wastewater triggers a new crisis A group of experts and environmental organizations, Haaretz notes, believe wastewater discharging from Gaza into the sea may be one of the factors contributing to disrupting the operation of Israeli desalination plants. During the war, the major collapse of the water and sanitation system reduced the amount of wastewater reaching the sea, with large quantities accumulating near residential areas and displacement camps. After the start of the ceasefire in October 2025, Gaza’s water network was partially restored, along with international pressure on Israel to resume water supplies to the enclave, leading to an increase in the amount of water available to residents and thus a rise in the volume of wastewater discharged into the sea. Tanker trucks operating in Gaza also contributed to increasing the flow by pumping wastewater from collection tanks and disposing of it in the sea. Environmental warnings ignored by Israel In November, the Middle East Ecobos organization, a U.S. Civil-Military Coordination center, warned that marine pollution off the coast of Gaza could extend its impact to Israel. The organization stated that the warnings focused on treating the Gaza wastewater crisis as an environmental problem that transcends borders and that addressing wastewater infrastructure should have been a priority after the ceasefire. UNICEF warns of pollution risks Efforts are currently underway in Gaza to address the wastewater crisis; UNICEF said it is working with partners around the clock to restart the Sheikh Ajlin wastewater treatment plant, which served about 700,000 people in southern Gaza before it was damaged during hostilities. The organization added that six wastewater treatment plants in Gaza have stopped functioning due to hostilities, while about 70% of pumping stations are out of service. UNICEF noted that more than 150,000 cubic meters of untreated wastewater are discharged daily into the environment, increasing the risk of disease and pollution. It warned of the need to allow entry of equipment needed to rehabilitate Gaza’s wastewater infrastructure, including generators and solar power systems, to curb the discharge of wastewater into the sea. Israel currently blocks some of these equipment entries, arguing they could be used by Hamas to bolster its military capabilities. The tiny algae that clog desalination plants A “surprising” rise in the turbidity of the Mediterranean Sea last Monday triggered a crisis in Israeli desalination plants, a phenomenon associated with large amounts of fine particulates in the water. Israeli officials, quoted by Haaretz, suggested the current cause might be related to an increase in microalgae, possibly sourced from waters near Egypt. These algae can pass through some desalination plant filters but may clog internal parts of the plants, disrupting seawater treatment operations. Experts exploring the causes of the algae bloom remain uncertain about a direct link to pollution from Gaza, though several did not rule out the possibility, according to Haaretz. The Nile Delta as the starting point Satellite images analyzed by the company Satellize show that the algae bloom began in the Nile Delta region, apparently due to a type of algae carried into the sea by river currents. Yet scientists told Haaretz that nutrients reaching the sea with wastewater from Gaza may have contributed to this unusually pronounced bloom and perhaps helped move the algae northward from the shores of Sinai toward Israel. Adam Ronen of Satellize stated that algae need organic matter to feed on, and wastewater could provide these nutrients, though he stressed this does not prove a 100% direct link. Climate change complicates the crisis Professor Emeritus Jack Gileron of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev told Haaretz that several factors may have converged to cause these disruptions. He explained that the phenomenon began with the bloom of “microalgae” at the Nile Delta before currents and weather conditions pushed them toward Israeli shores. He added that higher sea temperatures constitute an additional factor, as warming accelerates algae growth, alongside untreated wastewater near Gaza containing nutrients that can feed and promote algae proliferation. Dr. Tamar Gao Haiyin, a researcher at the Israel Oceanographic Institute for Marine and Lake Research, noted that pinpointing a single source for the phenomenon remains difficult. She told Haaretz that the bloom did not begin along the Israeli or Gaza coasts but farther south, though she did not rule out additional contributions from nutrient-rich waters coming from various sources. Warnings of continued sea pollution Yoval Arbeel, a coastal and marine protection activist with the Zalul environmental group, agrees with this assessment, noting that the bloom beginning off the Egyptian coast does not exclude Gaza’s wastewater contributions to worsening the phenomenon. Arbeel warned that continued discharging of wastewater into the sea, coupled with rising water temperatures due to climate change, could encourage the growth and spread of microalgae in the region. He added that climate change intensifies these phenomena and makes extreme events more frequent, warning that failing to address wastewater in Gaza could ultimately have direct repercussions on Israel’s water supplies, according to Haaretz. An unprecedented phenomenon raises scientists’ concerns Scientists expect that unusual weather conditions over the weekend also helped push the algae northward, while the unusually warm Mediterranean Sea temperatures, driven by climate change, likely contributed to their extraordinary proliferation. Researchers at the Israel Oceanographic and Lake Research Institute are working to identify the algae’s genetic sequence to better understand their origins and spread, Haaretz reports. Uri Bialik, a researcher at the institute, said he had not seen a similar phenomenon during his years at sea, noting that he went out Tuesday evening on a boat to collect samples from the Palmachim coast. Bialik said the water appeared green and turbidity was so high that equipment could not be seen at a depth of half a meter, and researchers also observed some dead fish floating on the surface. Gaza and Israel-aligned crisis Transboundary environmental and humanitarian implications The water and desalination crisis reveals intertwined environmental and humanitarian consequences of war: Gaza’s damaged water and sanitation infrastructure worsens the water crisis inside the enclave, while wastewater flowing into the sea raises concerns about potential impacts on the marine environment and Israeli desalination plants. As efforts continue to identify the exact causes of the algae bloom, the extent of Gaza’s wastewater contribution remains scientifically unresolved, while calls grow to address Gaza’s wastewater crisis as a humanitarian and environmental issue with regional implications. Israel’s Energy and Infrastructure Ministry has not yet responded to requests for comment on the desalination crisis and its repercussions. Thus, the water crisis adds to the sequence of crises in Gaza, making residents’ struggle for basic life-sustaining needs more severe; with ongoing supply cuts and deteriorating services, there is a growing urgency for action to prevent the crisis from becoming a wide-scale humanitarian and health catastrophe.

Preliminary investigations conducted by researchers at the Israeli Institute for Marine and Lake Research found that the increased turbidity in the Mediterranean Sea water, which disrupted most of Israel’s desalination plants in recent days, is likely due to widespread growth of microscopic algae believed to originate from the Nile Delta region. The phenomenon caused disruptions at five desalination plants: Ashdod, Ashkelon, Sorek 1, Sorek 2, and Palmarim. Sorek 1 and Sorek 2 resumed operations on Monday evening, with Pelhamim and Ashdod desalination plants expected to restart soon. Meanwhile, the desalination plants in Hadera and Eilat continued operating. The Israeli platform Getter Hidabrut said that most desalination plants in Israel shut down again on Tuesday morning after attempts to gradually restore them during the night, attributing the cause to a wave of turbidity arriving in the last hours from the coasts of Egypt and degrading sea water quality, forcing operators to nearly shut down facilities along the entire Mediterranean coast, except for the Haifa plant, which continued to operate normally. The platform added that the National Emergency Authority issued a warning about possible water disruptions in the areas of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the Adomim and Beit Shemesh areas. It noted that the Water Authority, the Ministry of Energy, and the Infrastructure Ministry decided to reduce public horticulture and agricultural activities and cut back public water uses. The Hebrew platform pointed out that water supplies to homes would continue but the scale of operations would be reduced if a localized problem arises, while Mekorot continues to bolster available production means as the turbidity source remains under investigation. Meanwhile, the Jesiva platform reported that the crisis’s effects began to appear in the south, where Shderot residents received a 7:00 a.m. notice of reduced water pressure citywide and suspension of irrigation water supplies, with residents urged to prepare for possible further disruptions during the day. It noted that the crisis began yesterday when weather conditions affected sea water quality and caused some desalination plants south of Haifa to stop, prompting residents of the central and southern regions to prepare for possible outages, while residents of Givatayim, Jerusalem, and Rehovot were asked to conserve and limit use to essential needs only. The Jesiva platform stated that the collapse of desalination systems led to a sharp water crisis in the Nitzan area within the Ramot Negev Regional Council, threatening about 20,000 dunams of vegetable crops for dozens of farmers near the Egyptian border. The platform added that Aryehan Doron, the head of the regional council, warned of a real threat to food security, rising living costs, and fresh food production in Israel, in addition to harming farmers’ livelihoods and the region’s economic future. It also noted that risks extend to losing investments worth millions of shekels and threatening the production of about two million tons of vegetables. Channel 10 reported that the ongoing morning shutdown of desalination plants came after a new turbidity wave reached from the Egyptian coast, forcing operators to halt work at nearly all facilities along the Mediterranean coast. The Hebrew newspaper added that despite the turbidity levels, the Ministry of Energy and the Water Authority ordered the operation of one desalination plant, indicating the possibility of damage worth millions of shekels, though the water output was expected to be clean and free of contamination risks. It noted that the long-lasting outage from yesterday resumed this morning, again causing major disruptions in water supplies, with authorities confirming continued household supply while addressing localized issues through the Water Authority’s operations center. Israel relies heavily on desalinating seawater to meet its water needs, particularly given scarce natural resources and climate change. Desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast form the backbone of the country’s water supply, providing a large share of drinking water and domestic use, and any disruption to these facilities directly affects daily life for residents and the country’s vital agricultural sector. Source: Channel 10 Israel + Getter Hidabrut platform + Jesiva News platform.

A woman stabbed two people in Times Square on Monday, killing one, before being tasered by NYPD officers. The alleged attacker, identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros, was also shot by police during the confrontation and later died at Bellevue Hospital, according to The New York Times. The attack occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Seventh Avenue in Times Square. Cisneros allegedly stabbed a 32-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man. Both victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where the woman was pronounced dead. The man remained hospitalized in stable condition. The 32-year-old victim was identified as Erin Piacenti, a vice president at Bank of America, according to a Bloomberg report. NYPD officers confront knife-wielding attacker Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said officers confronted Cisneros near West 43rd Street, where she was holding two knives. Officers attempted for several minutes to persuade Cisneros to drop the weapons, but she refused, according to the Times. Tisch said Cisneros told police, "I'm not dropping anything. I would rather kill both of you." Two officers then deployed Tasers before Cisneros charged toward police, at which point officers opened fire, according to the report. Video footage of the confrontation showed Cisneros holding a knife in each hand as officers surrounded her. Tasers were deployed before she appeared to charge toward officers and shots were fired. Mamdani thanks NYPD officers New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the attack alongside NYPD officials on Monday, saying officers in the area "responded immediately, deploying a Taser and discharging their firearms." "I'm deeply saddened to report that one of the victims has passed away, as has the alleged perpetrator," Mamdani said. "The second victim is currently in the hospital in stable condition." "I ask New Yorkers to join me in holding the victim in our thoughts and wishing them a full recovery," he added. Mamdani thanked the NYPD officers who responded, saying they "stepped in and prevented a horrific attack from becoming even worse." "This is what the men and women of this department do every single day to keep our city safe," he said. The mayor said an internal investigation would be conducted and that body-worn camera footage would be released to the public. Tisch said Cisneros lived in Queens and that authorities had reason to believe she had a history of mental illness, according to the Times.

Democracy Dies in Darkness By Gerry Shih Israel is facing a water crisis after five of its six desalination plants, accounting for a large share of its water consumption, were knocked offline this week by microscopic algae clogging intake pipes in the Mediterranean Sea. What readers are saying The comments reflect a strong sentiment of criticism towards Israel's actions in Gaza, particularly regarding the destruction of a desalination plant and the resulting water crisis. Many commenters express a belief in karmic justice, suggesting that Israel is facing consequences... Show more This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments. Comments 48 Most Read Carolyn Hax Carolyn Hax chat: Family is spoiling sister-in-law’s wedding planning Earlier today Erica Sloan The dementia that often strikes in midlife — and the signs people miss Earlier today Violet Jira and Mark Berman Lindsay Clancy murder trial ends in mistrial after dramatic appeal from defense 1 hour ago Lauren Kaori Gurley and Meryl Kornfield Former labor secretary misused funds and drank on the job, report finds Earlier today Julie Z. Weil The wrong people are paying off their mortgages Earlier today Lena H. Sun and Rachel Roubein Infant died of measles in Pennsylvania, coroner confirms 41 minutes ago View 3 more storiesView 3 more stories 5.61.6 !pixel Already a subscriber? Sign in FALL SALE Savings that last all year. From elections and weather to recipes, keep up with the season ahead. Unlimited access on the web and in our apps * 24/7 live news updates Monthly £1 every four weeks Yearly £10 for the first year For the first year. Cancel anytime. Add your email address View more offers

Water crisis strikes Israel... Agriculture, prices, and the West Bank in the line of danger Mdār News The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security warned of an exceptional water crisis, after most desalination plants in Israel were disrupted again. According to the Israeli channel Al-Aan 14, an unprecedented rise in the turbidity of the Mediterranean Sea water has led to the shutdown of most desalination plants, except for the Hod HaSharon plant, which continued to operate. The ministry said the water shortage particularly threatens farmers in southern Israel and the Negev, warning that damages could become irreversible if irrigation stops continue, especially for crops, vegetables, and greenhouses. In the city of Beersheba, residents in several neighborhoods reported a sharp drop in water pressure and disruptions in supply, before the situation gradually improved. Authorities also warned of possible water supply disruptions in other areas, including Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank. Israeli authorities stressed that what is happening is not a cyberattack, but a malfunction related to increased turbidity of seawater. However, officials warn that the ongoing crisis could impact agriculture, food production, and prices of fresh produce in Israel.

Three Israeli desalination plants remained out of operation Wednesday after an unusual algae-related event forced five facilities along the Mediterranean coast to shut down in succession, raising fresh concerns about the resilience of a water system that depends heavily on a relatively small number of large plants. The Ashdod and Ashkelon desalination plants had yet to resume operations after being shut because of increased water turbidity. The Sorek A plant, which had restarted for several hours, was shut down again overnight. Sorek B and Palmahim resumed operations Tuesday, while the desalination plants in Hadera and Eilat were not affected by the algae, which is believed to have reached Israel from Egypt. Despite the disruptions, household water supplies were not affected. Authorities were asked, however, to reduce public landscaping and other water-intensive activities. Water deliveries to farmers in southern Israel resumed Tuesday night. A water-sector official said the scale of the event had not been anticipated and argued that Israel needs to operate its desalination system differently. “There was no early warning or expectation of such a serious event,” the official said, arguing that the system is not being managed optimally. “Desalination plants should operate like our checking account, while natural water sources should be our savings,” he said. “Desalination plants should always operate at maximum capacity. Israel should buy all the water the plants are capable of producing.” The official said the Sea of Galilee and Israel’s aquifers should function primarily as emergency reserves to be tapped during crises. “The problem is that we are at the end of the summer and our natural reservoirs were not full,” he said. Contrary to widespread assumptions, he added, desalinated water can be cheaper than natural water when broader environmental and related costs are taken into account. He called for expanding existing desalination plants rather than relying primarily on new facilities, which he said could take at least a decade to build. “We need to maintain a permanent water surplus so we can deal with future crises, and they will come, as well as population growth,” he said. “When there is no water in a crisis, price no longer has any meaning.” Study warns of overlapping threats The shutdowns come as a new study by researchers at Ben-Gurion University’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research warns that Israel’s dependence on a centralized water system could leave it exposed when several emergencies occur at the same time. Millions of Israelis depend on a small number of desalination plants, which themselves rely on electricity and on the ability to draw seawater. Dr. Natalie de Falco, one of the researchers, said the current event demonstrated both the strength and the vulnerability of the system. “Israel’s water system is an excellent system,” she said. “Think about the fact that five desalination plants were not operating and yet every one of us still had water at home. That shows how much planning went into the system.” At the same time, she said, the concentration of so much drinking-water production in a handful of large facilities creates a significant point of vulnerability. De Falco, Prof. Noam Weisbrod and Dr. Carol Bot developed a model examining emergency scenarios that could destabilize the national water system. The scenarios included drought affecting natural water sources, disruptions to electricity supplies needed for desalination and pumping, war and cyberattacks. “The war with Iran began, my husband was called up for reserve duty and I was at home with three children,” de Falco said, explaining what prompted the research. “I started thinking about what happens when everything occurs at the same time.” “What happened here is a stress test,” she said. “What happens when nothing works?” “If we put 85% of our drinking water in the hands of five desalination plants, and each of them only works if seawater can be pumped in, then there is a vulnerability.” The researchers examined what could happen if a missile struck parts of the system and also modeled the effects of marine pollution similar to the current algae event. “These are the worst-case scenarios, in which desalination does not work,” de Falco said. Israel still has natural water sources, she noted, but those reserves have already been weakened by drought. “These are crisis multipliers,” she said. “We assessed what happens when problems occur one after another. We built a very extreme model that suddenly seems very relevant.” According to the researchers, certain combined crises could reduce water supply by about 60%. The study warns that planning for individual emergencies may underestimate the danger created when drought, war, energy disruption, pollution and other threats occur simultaneously. De Falco is also preparing further research examining complex threats to desalination facilities in Gulf states. Among the solutions being considered are an international agreement to protect water infrastructure and the development of smaller, decentralized desalination facilities that could also rely on solar energy. ‘An opportunity to learn’ Prof. Ofir Menashe, head of the master’s program in water engineering at Kinneret Academic College, said the current crisis should be treated as an opportunity to rethink infrastructure planning. “The water system is relatively strong, but what are we actually learning?” he said. Menashe said policymakers should consider whether Israel needs emergency reservoirs capable of supporting consumption for two days or for two months. “That has an operational significance,” he said. “It gives us breathing room. The question is how much we invest in infrastructure.” Because algae tend to concentrate closer to the surface, he said, authorities should also examine whether seawater intake points could be moved deeper. “We need to see this situation as an opportunity to learn and understand that, gradually, we are going to see more events like this because of climate change,” Menashe said. The consequences, he added, extend beyond Israel and could also affect neighboring Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza Strip.

The microscopic organism that has disrupted most of Israel’s Mediterranean desalination plants has been identified as a cyanobacterium from the genus Synechococcus, researchers say, although scientists have yet to determine the specific species or what caused its sudden proliferation. The discovery comes as Israel’s water authorities continue trying to stabilize desalination operations and scientists debate whether sewage flowing into the Mediterranean from Gaza helped fuel the bloom. A similar disruption has also been reported farther south in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where a desalination facility near El-Arish has been operating at reduced capacity because of unusually turbid seawater. That development has complicated the theory that pollution from Gaza was the principal cause of the phenomenon affecting Israel. Israel’s Water Authority sought Friday to reassure the public that supplies remained secure. “The water sector is fully stable: supply to residents and agriculture is continuing as usual, and reservoirs will be replenished over the weekend,” the authority said. Experts, however, say the situation facing the desalination system remains more complicated. The desalination plants in Ashdod and Ashkelon have been shut for several days. The Sorek B and Palmachim plants are operating at reduced capacity, while Sorek A stopped operating after several hours. The Hadera desalination plant is the only major Mediterranean facility whose operations have so far not been affected by the microorganisms, although officials are concerned that the bloom could continue moving north. Israel’s desalination facility in Eilat, on the Red Sea, is also operating normally. Dr. Ruti Kaplan-Levy, head of the National Algae Center at the Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, said the organism is extraordinarily small. “It is a very, very small cyanobacterium, with cells about two microns in size,” she said. “We are now conducting genetic identification of the organism, but it belongs to a genus that is very common in the Mediterranean.” Once researchers manage to isolate it, she said, they will be able to study its genome and physiology in greater detail and better understand the conditions behind the outbreak. “Ultimately, it is a photosynthetic bacterium,” Kaplan-Levy said. She said warming seawater can promote the growth of such organisms. “I see this case as an opportunity to strengthen taxonomic work in Israel,” she said. “In the Sea of Galilee, where we monitor freshwater, we follow phytoplankton populations. There are all kinds of phenomena there, and we need to know what could happen, including whether there is a chance of a toxic algal bloom. It is an entire world that the public is rarely exposed to.” Algal taxonomy, which involves identifying species under a microscope, has become an increasingly limited field in Israel, while the Kinneret laboratory maintains an extensive collection of knowledge and strains. “Algae and cyanobacteria provide around 50% of the oxygen in the atmosphere, so they are extremely important to the ecosystem,” Kaplan-Levy said. Researchers at Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology are working with the companies operating the desalination plants in an effort to understand the bloom and find ways to deal with the resulting seawater turbidity. Did sewage from Gaza fuel the bloom? One theory raised this week is that sewage discharged along the Gaza coast supplied nutrients that helped the microorganisms multiply, with unusually warm Mediterranean waters creating favorable conditions for rapid growth. Dr. Avner Gross, head of Ben-Gurion University’s Climate Change Laboratory, said such blooms require warm water, strong sunlight and sources of phosphorus and nitrogen. Based on satellite images, Gross said similar algae-rich turbid water can regularly be seen near the Nile Delta, where fertilizer runoff enters the Mediterranean. “In our case, I currently have no other explanation except a pollution source in the southern Gaza Strip,” he said. Writing on X, Gross said global warming had turned the Mediterranean into “a bathtub in August.” “Add phosphorus and nitrogen pollution and you get a deadly algal bloom,” he wrote. “Coincidentally, in recent days there were weak, steady winds that mixed the fertilizer from the sewage along Israel’s coast. A perfect storm.” Other scientists are more skeptical. Prof. Tamar Guy-Haim, a marine ecologist and laboratory head at Israel’s National Institute of Oceanography, said the likelihood that sewage from Gaza was the main driver of the bloom that shut the desalination plants was relatively low. One reason is what has happened farther south. Desalination facilities around El-Arish in northern Sinai, upstream of Gaza relative to the reported coastal conditions, have also been disrupted by seawater turbidity. The facility there has been affected since August 30. Sinai desalination plant also affected North and South Sinai’s drinking water and sanitation company said Thursday that the desalination plant at Kilometer 17 was still operating at reduced capacity. “As part of continuous monitoring, the company reports that the Kilometer 17 desalination plant is still operating at reduced capacity until seawater intake and water quality stabilize,” it said. Egyptian authorities said they were using alternative measures to compensate for the reduced water supply. “Our drinking water tankers are ready to be deployed to affected areas to meet basic needs,” the company said in a statement. “We urge citizens to conserve and make optimal use of the available water.” It added that maintenance and operations crews were working around the clock to monitor the situation and respond to problems until normal operations could resume. Residents in Sinai have meanwhile called for water tankers to be sent to affected communities, while some complained that attempts to contact authorities for assistance had gone unanswered. Chemical treatment raises environmental concerns Israel’s Water Authority took another step Wednesday in an effort to reduce the turbidity near Ashkelon, spraying the area with copper sulfate pentahydrate. The substance is used to kill algae broadly and is not targeted specifically at the Synechococcus organism currently under investigation. One expert warned that such treatment could have a much wider ecological impact. “Spraying like this can broadly damage the entire population of algae and cyanobacteria in the water, not only the species currently thriving, and could kill the entire community of photosynthetic microorganisms,” the expert said. A day after Israel’s committee responsible for approving discharges and dumping at sea authorized the treatment, the Agriculture Ministry imposed a fishing ban in the affected area. The Agriculture Ministry is not a member of the committee, and it remains unclear why the fishing restriction was issued only after the chemical had already been dispersed.

The shutdown of five of Israel's six major desalination plants has raised concerns about a water shortage and even sparked rumors that it was caused by a cyberattack. However, according to the Israel Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructures, this has been an environmental-driven event due abnormal turbidity in the seawater that is preventing the facilities from operating without endangering their filtration systems. The incident began last weekend, but the Water Authority's first official announcement was only made on Monday. As of today, after most of the facilities were restarted overnight, they were shut down again due to a renewed increase in turbidity. What are the implications and who will be affected by any temporary water shortage? What exactly happened? Abnormal levels of turbidity were measured in the seawater pumped into the desalination plants along the coast. As a result, five of the six largest seawater desalination plants in Israel were temporarily shut down: Ashkelon, Ashdod, Palmachim, Sorek A and Sorek B. The Hadera plant continued to operate at least partially throughout the event. On Monday evening, an attempt was made to restore some of the facilities to operation, but on Tuesday morning, the Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy announced that most of them had been shut down again, after the turbidity had risen again. What is turbidity in seawater? Turbidity is a high concentration of particles and substances suspended in water, including sand, silt, organic matter and tiny algae. In the first official announcement, the Water Authority attributed the phenomenon to the unusual weather. Later, it was estimated that microalgae that had drifted from the Nile Delta region contributed to the event, but at present this is still an assessment that is being tested, and not a final conclusion published in the Water Authority's announcement. Why does turbidity disable a desalination plant? Desalination plants in Israel operate using the reverse osmosis method. Before the seawater reaches the membranes, it undergoes pre-treatment and filtration designed to remove particles and organic substances. When the particle load is abnormal, pretreatment systems have difficulty coping with it, filters and membranes may become clogged, system pressure increases, and water output decreases. Therefore, shutting the plants down is primarily a protective measure: it is better to stop pumping for a limited time than to cause damage that will require prolonged cleaning or replacement of expensive components. How were five plants damaged almost simultaneously? All six major Israeli desalination plants draw seawater from the same wide strip of the Mediterranean Sea, between Ashkelon and Hadera. When an environmental phenomenon spreads over a large area and moves with the currents, it can reach several points one after the other. The differences in the location of the facilities, the depth of the suction pipes, and local conditions explain why they are not shut down and returned to operation at the same time. At the beginning of the incident, the damage was concentrated south of Hadera, so the Hadera facility remained the only one of the six major facilities that continued to operate Is the water in taps safe to drink? Currently, no announcement has been made about the quality of the drinking water being damaged, and there is no instruction to boil water or avoid drinking it. The problem lies in the raw water that returns to the sea, before the desalination process, and the plants were shut down precisely to prevent damage to the production process and water quality. If there were a health concern about the water supplied to the public, the Ministry of Health and the Water Authority would to publish appropriate instructions Are water shortages expected in homes? The Water Authority and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructures insist that water supply to homes will continue. However, some localities have already reported a drop in water pressure and localized disruptions, due to, among other things, the state of local reservoirs and transmission limitations in the network. So there is currently no official scenario of a national shortage of drinking water, but local malfunctions may occur as long as most desalination plants are not operating. In such a case, instructions to residents will come from the local water corporation or the local authority Who is affected first by any temporary shortage? The state gives priority to the supply of drinking water and domestic use. Therefore, the Water Authority initially ordered a reduction in the supply of fresh water to agriculture in the south, and in some councils it was even stopped for a limited time. Authorities and water corporations were subsequently instructed to reduce irrigation of gardens and parks and non-essential public uses. Farmers who use recycled wastewater do not directly depend on the desalinated water and are less affected by the situation. Where does water come from when the plants are shut down? Mekorot is increasing production from other available sources, including the Sea of Galilee, groundwater wells, local facilities and water reservoirs. The national system was designed to be able to combine several sources, so the shutdown of a single facility is not necessarily an exceptional event. The difficulty this time stems from the fact that five large facilities were shut down simultaneously, while the alternative production capacity, reservoirs and transmission pipelines also have limitations. Is this a cyberattack? According to the National Cyber Directorate, the Water Authority and industry professionals - no. No indication of a cyber incident was found, and the shutdown was attributed to abnormal turbidity in the seawater. The rumor spread mainly because several facilities were shut down almost simultaneously, but in this case the common denominator among them is the source of the seawater and not a damaged computer system. To what extent is Israel dependent on desalination plants? There are six large seawater desalination facilities operating in Israel: Ashkelon, Palmachim, Hadera, Sorek A, Sorek B and Ashdod. According to the Water Authority, their annual production capacity amounts to about 797 million cubic meters. The figure that desalination provides 70%-80% of the water in Israel requires precision: it generally refers to domestic and municipal consumption, and not to all water consumed in the economy, which also includes agriculture, industry and wastewater. The exact weight of the desalinated water varies from year to year depending on production from the Sea of Galilee and groundwater When did the malfunction begin? The facilities in Ashkelon and Ashdod were shut down over the weekend, and the problem later spread to other facilities. The official announcement on the Water Authority website was published on Monday, August 31, after the incident had already affected most of the desalination plants and it was decided to cut the supply of water to agriculture. The Water Authority's director, Yechezkel Lifshitz, explained that shutdowns of plants for maintenance or due to malfunctions occur routinely and are not always brought to the public's attention, but he acknowledged that the current situation is exceptional. When will the facilities return to full operation? There is currently no definite date. Each facility will be able to resume operation when the quality of the seawater at its intake point reaches threshold values and remains stable long enough to allow safe operation. The fact that several plants returned to operation overnight and were shut down again in the morning illustrates that the improvement is not necessarily continuous. Even after the return to production, it takes time for the reservoirs to fill and for the water pressure in the network to stabilize. What does the exceptional event teach us about the water sector in Israel? On the one hand, the water sector has backup sources and is able to divert water from the Sea of Galilee, from wells and from reservoirs to protect domestic consumption. On the other hand, the event demonstrates the risk of relying on several large facilities concentrated along the same coastal strip and exposed to the same environmental phenomenon. In a 2024 report, the State Comptroller already warned that pollution or changes in the quality of seawater could damage the facilities and stop production. Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 1, 2026. © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2026.

Rosen, the mayor of Rishon LeZion, warned that Israel's reliance on desalination as the main source of drinking water constitutes a fundamental error, while also warning of the risks of cyberattacks targeting desalination facilities that could disrupt their operation, especially amid ongoing security tensions on multiple fronts. In an op-ed published by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Kinstelekh stated that Israel is currently facing one of the toughest water crises, noting the disruption of many desalination plants and saying the crisis’s fallout exposed the fragility of the water supply system and its growing dependence on a single source. He added that indicators signaling similar risks had appeared for some time, but Tel Aviv’s success in managing water resources and converting sea water into drinking water had led to a complacent sense that the current system could withstand crises. He explained that Israel has developed an advanced water sector over the years, benefiting from the expansion of seawater desalination and the experience of local tech companies, after previously facing water shortages and recurring droughts. He pointed out that the amount of desalinated water reaching residents’ taps has gradually risen since desalination plants were built, noting that desalinated water now accounts for about 80% of drinking water in several towns. Nevertheless, Kinstelekh stressed that the ability to convert seawater into drinking water alone is not enough to guarantee water security, saying that relying on a single main water source in our region is a fundamental error. An unforeseen crisis: According to the head of the Rishon LeZion municipality, authorities in the water sector are preparing for different emergency scenarios, including the possibility of cyberattacks on desalination facilities, but the current crisis arose from a completely different factor. He explained that an extraordinary weather event caused a rise in the concentration of microalgae in seawater, a type of algae that desalination facilities could not handle, leading to a disruption in the water sector’s operations, which was not prepared for such risks. Rishon LeZion, Kinstelekh notes, is one of the four largest cities in the Occupied Territories, with a population of about 300,000. About 45% of the city’s water comes from wells tapping groundwater, while Mekorot supplies roughly 55%, and a large portion of its water relies on desalination. He emphasized that diversifying water sources helped the city cope with the crisis, after desalinated water from Mekorot declined sharply due to the desalination plant outage. He added that had the city depended more on desalinated water, it would have faced a more severe crisis, pointing out that local wells provided a cushion of flexibility in coping with reduced supply. Additional wells to meet emergencies: Kinstelekh said the municipality, in cooperation with its water company Maniv Rishon, prepared for different scenarios, including the temporary stoppage of pumping in parts of the city to regulate distribution, and even the readiness of stations to provide water to residents when needed. He viewed water source diversification as giving the city the ability to continue managing consumption without resorting to more drastic measures. The mayor criticized what he called the closure of wells in recent years, explaining that local authorities repeatedly asked for permission to drill additional wells to extract drinking water from underground. He noted that the Health Ministry in recent years closed several wells, even though water from some of them met drinking water standards, including wells designated exclusively for emergency use. He argued that recent developments have made the need for these wells more evident, after the desalination crisis reduced one of the most important water supply sources. Kinstelekh linked the water crisis to the way the sector is managed, urging transferring more powers from the central government to local authorities. He said local authorities and their affiliated water companies were at the forefront of addressing the crisis from its outset, while the Water Authority was still trying to understand its causes and map its course. He explained that municipalities took on guiding residents on how to deal with the crisis and what could happen in later stages, noting that the experience proved local governance can respond quickly to crises that affect daily life. Kinstelekh called for granting local authorities broader powers in water sector management, including decisions about water sources and well development, arguing that expanding local decision-making margins would strengthen cities’ ability to prepare for future crises. He concluded with a warning that fresh water crises are not a distant probability but a matter of time, and, in his view, this calls for reconsidering the water system’s structure and diversifying its sources before the next crisis occurs.