A displaced Palestinian woman washes clothes on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza City on July 14. | REUTERS
Jul 22, 2026
CAIRO/GAZA – In pre-dawn darkness, Ibtisam Al-Helou leaves her tent on the Gaza Strip’s seafront on a daily search for fresh water. The Mediterranean lies only a few steps away, but the water she needs to cook, drink and wash will mean a trek across Gaza City.
Setting out before the heat rises to the scorching 33 degrees Celsius of midday, the 40-year-old mother of three makes her way through shattered neighborhoods where word has spread that water might be available.
“I live by the sea, and water is very scarce. I suffer from it every day,” she said, washing kitchen utensils outside the tent where her family now lives.
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