Gaza Residents Use Polluted Mediterranean Shore for Bathing Amid Summer Heat and Water Shortage

Residents of the Gaza Strip have been moving from tents to the Mediterranean shore to bathe and wash clothes as summer heat intensifies and fresh water remains unavailable, Al-Monitor reported on June 22, 2026. Nearly all of Gaza's population was displaced during two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

People are now packed into a narrow coastal strip, living mainly in tents and damaged buildings.

"The only outlet in the Gaza Strip, from north to south, is the sea," said Wadie al-Ras, 36. " Morning temperatures range between 28 and 31 degrees Celsius, but inside the tents the heat feels far more intense. Before the war began in October 2023, Gaza City's beach served as a popular spot for locals.

The seawater now contains sewage and waste after infrastructure collapse. "The seawater is not clean. There's sewage in it, filled with dirt," said Shehab al-Suwaireki, 36, a father of six.

Many water pumps stopped working after Israeli bombardment, and sewage stations, pumping facilities, and water treatment plants suffered severe damage, said Husni Muhanna, spokesperson for the Gaza municipality. "Residents resort to the beach despite all the dangers," Muhanna said.

The war started when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Israel's response killed at least 73,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-controlled territory. An October 2025 truce has not ended all Israeli attacks. " "There's no electricity, no fan, no water, even the food is inedible," he said while fanning himself with cardboard on June 22.