In Gaza, where war has transformed almost every aspect of daily life, water is no longer something that families can simply take for granted. For thousands of displaced people living in temporary shelters and overcrowded camps, finding safe water has become part of the daily struggle for survival.
Behind the walls of damaged homes and among rows of displacement tents, families face a basic but urgent question: Where will we get water today?
It is in response to this reality that Hayah, a water relief campaign by Hira Association for Community Development, is being launched. The campaign seeks to bring safe water closer to displaced families across the Gaza Strip through daily water tanker convoys serving displacement camps and areas where access to water remains severely limited.
Gaza’s Water Crisis: When a Basic Need Becomes a Daily Struggle
The war has placed Gaza’s already fragile water system under enormous pressure. Damage to water and sanitation infrastructure, disruptions to water production, shortages of fuel and spare parts, and restrictions affecting humanitarian operations have all contributed to an increasingly difficult water situation.
For displaced families, the challenge is even greater. Many live in temporary shelters where access to piped water is limited or unavailable. Families may have to depend on water trucks, collection points, or other irregular sources to meet their basic needs for drinking, cooking and hygiene.
Recent humanitarian assessments underline the scale of the crisis. UNICEF reported in 2026 that 82 per cent of families in Gaza were water insecure, while up to 70 per cent were unable to access the minimum of six litres of water per person per day for drinking and cooking. In August 2026, an OCHA report cited WASH Cluster monitoring showing that 91 per cent of assessed households were experiencing moderate-to-high water insecurity.
The consequences go far beyond thirst.
Water is directly connected to public health, hygiene and disease prevention. In overcrowded displacement sites, where sanitation services are already under pressure, insufficient access to safe water can increase health risks, particularly for children, older people, patients and other vulnerable groups.
In such circumstances, a drop of clean water becomes more than a basic resource. It becomes a source of protection, dignity and reassurance.
Hayah: Bringing Water Closer to Those Who Need It
This is where Hayah begins.
Launched by Hira for Community Development, Hayah is a humanitarian water initiative designed to support displaced families living in camps across the Gaza Strip. Through daily water tanker convoys, the campaign seeks to deliver water directly to communities where families are struggling to meet their most basic needs.
The purpose of Hayah is not simply to transport water from one place to another. It is about bringing an essential resource closer to families who may otherwise spend hours searching for it.
Every tanker that reaches a displacement camp carries thousands of litres of water, but it also carries a message: you have not been forgotten.
For a displaced family, access to water can mean one less burden to carry. It can mean that a mother can prepare food for her children, that a child can drink when thirsty, or that a family can maintain basic hygiene in circumstances where even the simplest routines have become difficult.
Through Hayah, Hira Association works to make this essential need more accessible by sending water tanker convoys to displacement camps on a daily basis.