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Israel’s government is preparing to reduce the water supply to northern Gaza in an effort to push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians southward, as part of a broader plan to occupy Gaza City, state broadcaster KAN reported Friday.
According to the report, the plan includes cutting water access in the north while constructing two new water pipelines to the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Since January 2025, Israel has already cut the last water supply operated by the Israeli company Mekorot to Gaza. In March, the final power line feeding the main water treatment plant south of Deir al-Balah was also shut down.
Earlier this month, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to occupy Gaza City. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before the meeting that Israel aims to fully occupy the Gaza Strip.
Local media reports said the military has received orders to prepare for the takeover, though the operation is not expected before September.
The plan’s first phase calls for the displacement of about one million Palestinians to the south, followed by a siege and heavy bombardment of Gaza City. The second phase envisions the occupation of central refugee camps, many of which have already been reduced to rubble.
Israel previously occupied Gaza from 1967 until 2005. The enclave, home to about 2.3 million Palestinians, has been under a strict blockade for 18 years.
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