Water crisis in Israel raises fears over impact of Gaza sewage
Five of Israel’s six major desalination plants were temporarily shut as scientists investigated whether warm waters, currents and sewage helped fuel the bloom.
- Five of Israel's six desalination plants shut down this week after microscopic Synechococcus algae clogged intake pipes in the Mediterranean Sea, with the organism originating from Egypt's Nile River delta.
- Dr. Avner Gross of Ben-Gurion University's Climate Change Laboratory said such blooms require warm water, strong sunlight and phosphorus and nitrogen sources, while Noga Armi, chief executive of Zalul environmental group, argued untreated sewage from Gaza provides nutrients intensifying growth.
- Researchers identified the organism as a cyanobacterium from genus Synechococcus, though the specific species remains unknown. Prof. Tamar Guy-Haim of Israel's National Institute of Oceanography questioned whether Gaza sewage was the main driver, noting facilities in northern Sinai also disrupted since August 30.
- Israel's Water Authority sprayed copper sulfate pentahydrate on Wednesday near Ashkelon to reduce turbidity, while Mekorot spokesman Lior Gutman reported 99 percent of Israeli homes remained fully supplied through emergency agricultural rationing and increased reservoir withdrawals.
- Gidon Bromberg of EcoPeace Middle East called the crisis 'an absolute wake-up call for the repair of sanitation infrastructure in Gaza,' while researcher Edo Bar-Zeev of Ben-Gurion University cautioned that warming Mediterranean waters could make such blooms increasingly frequent.
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Five of the six Israeli desalination plants have been shut down this week due to a massive algal bloom in the Mediterranean Sea, reports The Washington Post. Microscopic algae are clogging the plants' intake pipes, which has led to water rationing in agriculture and the use of Israeli emergency reserves.
Gaza’s destroyed sewage system linked to ‘rare’ algae bloom shutting Israeli desalination plants
Gaza’s destroyed sewage system linked to ‘rare’ algae bloom shutting Israeli desalination plants Submitted by MEE staff on Sat, 09/05/2026 - 14:28 Five of Israel’s six water plants shut as scientists probe whether Gaza wastewater fuelled the bloom A worker inspects a valve at the Southern Gaza desalination plant, which stopped working after Israel cut off the electricity supply to the Gaza Strip on 10 March 2025 (Eyad Baba/AFP) Off Untreated s…
The Washington Post
Water crisis in Israel raises fears over impact of Gaza sewage
Five of Israel’s six desalinization plants are offline. Untreated wastewater from Gaza’s destroyed sewage system could be part of the problem, experts warn.
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