Full Analysis Summary
Attacks on Palestinian water
New research by the Pacific Institute documented that Israeli armed forces and settlers have attacked Palestinian water sources more than 250 times over the past five years.
The report says at least 90 incidents involved bombs, dogs, poison, or heavy machinery between January 2024 and mid-2025.
It names a range of methods used in these assaults and places responsibility on Israeli actors for repeated destruction and contamination of Palestinian water infrastructure.
The research frames the attacks as deliberate actions that have crippled access to safe water for Palestinians across Gaza and the occupied territories.
Deadly incidents in Gaza
The Guardian details specific deadly incidents that illustrate how these attacks have directly killed and wounded Palestinians.
In February 2024, Israeli snipers killed eight Palestinians who were collecting water near Naser hospital in Gaza.
April airstrikes killed and injured about 100 people and destroyed mobile latrines and a solar desalination unit.
An attack at a Nuseirat distribution point in July killed at least ten people, including six children, amid extreme shortages.
These documented strikes show Israeli forces conducting lethal operations that targeted places and infrastructure Palestinians relied upon for survival.
Gaza water and sanitation crisis
The assaults have devastated Gaza's water and sanitation systems, with The Guardian reporting an estimated 90% of Gaza’s water and sanitation facilities destroyed, damaged, or rendered inaccessible.
The UN special rapporteur on water and sanitation calls this situation a public-health catastrophe.
The rapporteur also states the destruction reflects patterns of behavior that may violate international law, could amount to war crimes, and may indicate a strategy of displacement and segregation affecting Palestinians.
Global surge in water attacks
The Guardian places the Palestinian experience within a broader global surge in attacks on water resources.
It reports the Pacific Institute documented 420 water conflicts in 2024, a 20% rise on 2023, and more than 160 attacks in the first half of 2025.
The article links these assaults to climate stresses, governance failures and conflict.
It warns of rising attacks on environmental defenders and water infrastructure from Madagascar and South Africa to Pakistan, and frames Israeli actions as part of an escalating international pattern of water-related violence.
Guardian report summary
The Guardian's reporting emphasizes direct accountability for Israeli forces and settlers, documents civilian deaths including children, and relays the UN special rapporteur's legal and humanitarian condemnation.
Only this Guardian piece (reporting on the Pacific Institute and the UN rapporteur) was provided, so I cannot present perspectives other outlets might add, such as Israeli military statements, additional Palestinian-government detail, independent corroboration, or alternative casualty figures.
The factual claims above are drawn from that single source and should be treated as the Guardian's reporting of Pacific Institute findings and UN statements until corroborated by additional, diverse sources.