Water and electricity: How the conflict is destroying vital infrastructure in Gaza

For several weeks now, the same scenes have been recurring in Gaza, with telephones connected to a feeble electricity supply and queues for drinking water.

Since October, Israel has blocked fuel deliveries to the Gaza Strip, arguing that they could help Hamas operations. While some shipments have been let through for humanitarian purposes, the lack of fuel has caused power stations and water purification plants to shut down.

'In Gaza, all the public health problems are linked to water'

Plus, damage from ongoing combat has damaged crucial infrastructure, including power stations, reservoirs and water treatment plants.

We spoke to Wim Zwijnenburg, a researcher with the NGO Pax for Peace and a specialist in natural resource management during conflicts.

Before the conflict, the water situation in Gaza was already disastrous. The inhabitants had only limited access to water, and the supply infrastructure often broke down. Since the offensive, the major risk is that the water distribution infrastructure has been damaged. People no longer have access to drinking water, which poses risks to public health... At present, an estimated 100,000 buildings have been destroyed in Gaza. This will create a lot of rubble. Some of these buildings were constructed using materials that are sometimes hazardous to health, which will become embedded, contaminating the water and causing illness.

Drinking water infrastructure has been significantly damaged, including a water tower in the governorate of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, which was hit by a strike. 

According to the publication, the video was filmed in the Al Tanour neighbourhood on the eastern outskirts of Rafah. Using Google Earth, we matched up the video with images of a water tower in this part of the city.

According to several publications on X, the strike occurred between December 4 and 5, 2023. Satellite images provided by Maxar show that the water tower was destroyed between the end of November 2023 and the beginning of December.

The Israeli army considers Rafah to be a fallback zone for civilians fleeing the fighting.

However, it is not the only drinking water infrastructure that has been affected. On November 16, one of the main water treatment plants was destroyed. Using the Sentinel Eo Browser software, we could see thick black smoke billowing from the south of Gaza City.

Satellite images show that this smoke is coming from one of the main waste treatment plants affected by the fighting, the ETA plant, which has now been destroyed. In this first image dated November 11, 2023, the plant is still standing. In the second satellite view, taken on November 17, the building is almost completely destroyed.

According to the New York Times, it's impossible to clearly attribute responsibility for this strike to either side of the conflict.

'25% of Gaza's electricity comes from solar panels'

A Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report estimates that almost 25% of the electricity supplying the Gaza Strip comes from solar panels. The report even states that Gaza has the world's largest network of solar panels. The FRANCE 24 Observers team was able to identify several strikes on solar energy installations.

In the Deir Al Balah region, satellite images reveal extensive damage to solar panels located near a water treatment plant.

This waste treatment plant was inaugurated in April 2021. According to Zwijnenburg, it supplied power to one million people. On November 3, Pax for Peace documented the first shell impacts on the solar panels.

Thanks to images provided by Planet, you can see that the plant's solar panels have been completely destroyed by the fighting.

We spoke to CSIS researcher Will Todman:

It's difficult to know whether they were intentionally trying to destroy the solar panels or the whole power station, although it would be strange if they only wanted to target the panels and not the whole infrastructure.

But most of the solar panels that have been destroyed were put in place by residents themselves to provide electricity and cope with power cuts, which are frequently destroyed as a result of strikes.

Much of the destruction of these informal solar installations is due to strikes on buildings. In Gaza City, many buildings were destroyed, so the solar panels were also disabled. Located on roofs, they are particularly vulnerable to the blast of an explosion or to shrapnel; they are very fragile installations.

For many researchers and NGOs, these satellite images are the only means of monitoring and measuring the destruction caused by the conflict.