In Gaza, a mother's hunt for water lays bare a worsening health crisis

REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa Published Jul 21, 2026, 02:37 PMUpdated Jul 21, 2026, 02:37 PMSet as preferred sourceCAIRO/GAZA, July 21 - In pre-dawn darkness, Ibtisam Al-Helou leaves her tent on Gaza's seafront on a daily search for fresh water. I suffer from it every day," she said, washing kitchen utensils outside the tent where her family now lives."I reach Al-Mina, I reach Al-Amadi, we reach Abu Mazen (areas in Gaza City) where there is water, because water does not reach here at all. Now they are lucky to wash once a week.Many children in the enclave cool off in the sea, but Helou says the price can come later."When my children swim in the sea, I need 50 ($17) shekels (worth of treatment) for each one of them," she said.