Israeli forces destroying water infrastructure in Lebanon, using Gaza playbook

Israeli forces are destroying water and sanitation infrastructure including strikes near sites that were being rehabilitated after having been destroyed or damaged in the last war, Oxfam analysis has found.  

The Geneva conventions prohibit attacks on water installations and other objects that are critical for people to survive. Using deprivation of water as a method of warfare is outlawed. Any intentional deprivation of water or obstruction of aid may constitute a war crime. 

In a span of four days in the first weeks of the latest escalation, Israel damaged at least seven critical water sources including reservoirs, pipe networks and pumping stations that supplied water to almost 7,000 people in the Bekaa area alone

In Southern Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes after Israel’s blanket mass forced displacement orders, Oxfam and partners are responsible for carrying out rehabilitation work at 19 important water facilities that provide clean water for up to 60,000 people. Six were damaged by Israeli bombardment in last year’s escalation. There have been confirmed strikes in many of the areas where these facilities are located. 

Due to the intensity of the attacks in these areas, Oxfam teams cannot now safely access these sites to assess whether they too are now destroyed or damaged or ensure they are functioning properly so that people remaining in the villages have water. Long term impacts will also be devastating for communities if they don’t have clean water when they are able to return home.  

The destruction of civilian infrastructure has not been limited to critical water facilities. Israel has also destroyed electricity networks and bridges, cutting off vital supplies and services for entire towns and villages.   

During the 2024 escalation, Israel damaged more than 45 water networks in Lebanon, impacting almost half a million people, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks and contributing to the loss of livelihoods and green areas. Given the ongoing lack of accountability that has allowed Israel to consistently violate international law across the region, Oxfam is concerned these renewed attacks will see a sharp rise in the destruction of civilian infrastructure that is already occurring.  

Despite the scale of destruction and mounting evidence of Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, Oxfam says the international community remains complicit in its silence and, in many cases, support to Israel as it continues to occupy and invade parts of Lebanon

• In the Policy Brief Water Under Fire: Supporting Lebanon’s Water Services Amid Escalating Conflict  Oxfam contacted water establishments across three highly impacted regions in Lebanon after Israeli attacks. 
• In July 2024 Oxfam released the report Water War Crimes: How Israel has weaponised water in its military campaign in Gaza presenting a detailed analysis of how the Government of Israel systematically weaponized water against the Palestinians in its latest assault on Gaza, 
• Before the latest escalation, Oxfam was rehabilitating eight water pumping systems in Mansouri, Nmairiyyeh, Srifa, Zaita, Ankoun, Allousiyyeh, Kfardounin, Jbal Al Botom. Three water networks in Tyre, Kherbit Silm, Khiam, four reservoirs in  Yater, Toura and Zebkin, and four water filtration systems in Mais Eljabal, Bintjbeil, Kfartebnit, Deir Knaoun Nahr