Every day, he drives his water truck through the Strip, filling up empty tanks and vessels.
Our camera accompanied Alloush on a recent arduous mission to provide a little water to the residents of Jabalia. UN News’s correspondent met Alloush in Jabalia’s desalination plant, where he spends hours waiting for water.
Like everywhere else in Gaza, the desalination plant is overcrowded. As Gaza is running out of fuel, Alloush explained to UN News that 35 to 40 liters of diesel is needed every hour for the plant just to operate.
Hours spent waiting
At the plant, Ibrahim has to be patient: “We come to the desalination plant and wait about five hours for our turn to fill up. Water prices are very high due to production costs. People here in Gaza cannot afford water unless it is distributed by organizations, institutions, or initiatives.
“The cost of one cubic metre is very high because of how expensive diesel is, which is needed to operate the generators. One cubic metre of water can cost between 90 to 100 shekels, this is about 20 Jordanian dinars.”
Gaza residents lining up near the water truck to fill their jugs.
After completing his task, Ibrahim Alloush gets into his old truck, starts its engine, and sets off on a challenging journey through the devastated neighborhoods of Jabalia.
For Alloush, the struggle does not stop at the water plant. Driving through Gaza is not easy, navigating destroyed streets and surrounded by rubble, Alloush needs to reach the people waiting for him – waiting for water.
There are always people waiting for him. It is almost impossible for trucks to reach certain areas, if it were not for Mr. Alloush, these areas would basically be lacking any supply.
No life without water
‘We are suffering from a major water crisis,” Ayman Kamal, a Gaza Strip resident, tells UN News. While some can wait half a day to fill up five or ten gallons of water only, others may not even be able to get water, as they were too far behind in line.
“Without water, there is no life…We wait for potable water that comes from distant areas, and people crowd to get their share,” Fathi al-Kahlout tells UN News as he fills his bucket.
“The blockade has caused us many problems. We hope that the world will look at us, even for one day, as it looks at other countries. Everyone in other countries lives in comfort. Why are we condemned to this fate?” asked Sameer Badr, explaining to UN News that his children spend their days going back and forth in search of water.
Two kids getting water from a truck.
Worsening water crisis
The continued closure of border crossings and the ban on fuel entry is paralysing desalination plants, the closure of the main water pipelines has also led to a sharp decrease in the amount of drinking water available to residents in Gaza. The water crisis is worsening, warns Children’s Fund UNICEF.
After the collapse of the ceasefire, the repair work that had been started on vital wells and water points came to a total halt, leaving many water sources either out of service or at risk of further damage.
According to UNICEF about one million people – including 400,000 children – are currently receiving a daily six-litre ration per person, a stark decrease from the previous average of 16 litres.
If fuel runs out, UNICEF warned that this amount could drop to less than four litres per day in the coming weeks, forcing families to rely on unsafe sources, significantly increasing the risk of disease outbreaks, especially among children.
