Burak Bir
24 March 2026•Update: 25 March 2026
LONDON
Israel’s military blueprint of attacking water infrastructure, used throughout its genocide in the Gaza Strip, is now being rolled out across parts of Lebanon, Oxfam said Tuesday.
The charity found in its analysis that 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.
Noting that the Geneva Conventions prohibit attacks on water installations and other objects that are critical for people to survive, it highlighted that 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," said Oxfam.
It noted that 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 Lebanon's Bekaa area.
"Long-term impacts will also be devastating for communities if they don’t have clean water when they are able to return home," it said.
It also pointed out that Israel's destruction of civilian infrastructure has not been limited to critical water facilities, adding that Israeli forces have also destroyed electricity networks and bridges, cutting off vital supplies and services for entire towns and villages.
"It’s clear that the Israeli Forces are repeating the same pattern in Lebanon as they did in Gaza," said Bachir Ayoub, Oxfam Lebanon country director. “The impunity Israel enjoyed in Gaza as it committed water war crimes is again on full display."
"The world has shown Israel can do what it wants, whenever it wants, without repercussion and again it is civilians who are paying the ultimate price for this inaction," he added.
Lebanese authorities said at least 1,039 people have since been killed and 2,876 injured in Israeli attacks since March 2.
The escalation came amid a joint US-Israeli offensive on Iran, which has killed more than 1,340 people since Feb. 28. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries, saying they are aimed at “US military assets.”
