Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has accused Zionist authorities of deliberately restricting water access in Gaza, describing the actions as a form of collective punishment against the Palestinian population. In a report released Tuesday in Geneva, the medical charity detailed widespread damage to civilian water infrastructure and ongoing obstruction of water-related supplies, characterizing these measures as part of a broader pattern of inhumane treatment.

The report, titled “Water as a Weapon,” alleges that nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure—including desalination plants, boreholes, pipelines, and sewage systems—has been destroyed or rendered unusable. This “engineered scarcity,” coupled with civilian casualties, damage to health facilities, and home demolitions, amounts to “the deliberate infliction of destructive and inhumane conditions of life,” according to MSF’s emergency manager Claire San Filippo.

San Filippo emphasized that water is essential for survival and criticized the Zionist authorities for systematically targeting water infrastructure while blocking water-related supplies from entering Gaza. The report draws on data gathered by MSF between 2024 and 2025, as well as information from the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank.

Despite an October 2025 ceasefire intended to halt Gaza’s ongoing conflict following Hamas’s 2023 attack on Zionist entity, both sides continue to accuse each other of violations. MSF highlighted that attacks by the Zionist military have displaced its teams from areas where they previously supplied water to hundreds of thousands of people. The organization noted that it is one of the largest producers and distributors of drinking water in Gaza, providing over 5.3 million liters daily last month—sufficient for about a fifth of Gaza’s population.

The report also noted multiple incidents where MSF’s clearly marked water trucks and boreholes were targeted, resulting in injuries and deaths among Palestinians merely trying to access water. Furthermore, the charity reported that about one-third of its requests to bring in essential water and sanitation supplies—such as desalination units, pumps, chlorine, and insect repellent—were either rejected or ignored.

MSF warned that the lack of water, combined with poor living conditions, overcrowding, and a collapsed healthcare system, is fostering a “perfect storm” for disease outbreaks. The organization called for the immediate restoration of adequate water supplies in Gaza and urged international actors to pressure Zionist authorities to allow unhindered humanitarian access.

The Zionist defense ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, COGAT, dismissed the report’s allegations as “baseless,” asserting that water supply in Gaza consistently meets humanitarian standards. COGAT further stated that, contrary to the report’s claims, Zionist entity facilitates water delivery and provides water from its own sources. The ministry blamed operational delays on MSF’s alleged failure to comply with registration protocols and accused the group of employing individuals linked to terror networks.

MSF declined to comment on these accusations when contacted.