Government moving to reduce water supply in Gaza City as part of plan to occupy entire enclave, says Israeli broadcaster
Israel is considering reducing water supply to northern Gaza while repairing pipelines to the south in preparation for forcing Palestinians out of Gaza City as part of a broader plan to occupy the enclave, the country’s public broadcaster said Thursday.
KAN reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is weighing cuts to water sent to the north while working to fix two direct pipelines into southern Gaza.
The reported step comes as Israel faces accusations of weaponizing thirst in its genocide on Gaza alongside hunger and restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries.
Since January this year, Israel has cut off water from the Israeli national water company Mekorot, one of the last main sources supplying the enclave, according to a statement by the Gaza Government Media Office.
It said that on March 9, the Israeli military also severed the last power line feeding the central desalination plant south of Deir al-Balah, halting large-scale drinking water production and deepening the crisis.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz approved a military plan dubbed Operation Gideon’s Chariots 2 to seize Gaza City despite ongoing mediation efforts and the Palestinian group Hamas’s acceptance of a ceasefire proposal.
Israel’s security Cabinet earlier this month endorsed Netanyahu’s phased plan to seize the entire Gaza Strip.
The first stage calls for the takeover of Gaza City by displacing its roughly 1 million residents to the south, surrounding the city, and carrying out incursions into residential areas.
The second stage includes occupying refugee camps in central Gaza, many of which have already suffered widespread destruction.
According to the plan, more than 800,000 Palestinians would be transferred to so-called “humanitarian zones” in the south, alongside the establishment of shelters, field hospitals and water infrastructure, with preparations expected to be completed in about three weeks.
Israel has killed more than 62,100 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
