Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40597290›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental health : a global access science source2025

Drinking water access and quality in the Gaza Strip prior to 7 October 2023 and implications for reconstruction.

Curdin Brugger, Branwen Nia Owen, Bassam Abu Hamad, Tammo van Gastel, Federico Sittaro, Rodolfo Rossi, Nicole Probst-Hensch, Mirko S Winkler

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In one paragraph

Article in Environmental health : a global access science source, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Curdin BruggerDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil, 4123, Switzerland. curdin.brugger@swisstph.ch.
Branwen Nia OwenDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil, 4123, Switzerland.
Bassam Abu HamadAl Quds University, Gaza City, Palestine.
Tammo van GastelInternational Committee of the Red Cross, 19 Avenue de la Paix, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland.
Federico SittaroInternational Committee of the Red Cross, 19 Avenue de la Paix, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland.
Rodolfo RossiInternational Committee of the Red Cross, 19 Avenue de la Paix, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland.
Nicole Probst-HenschDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil, 4123, Switzerland.
Mirko S WinklerDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil, 4123, Switzerland. mirko.winkler@usys.ethz.ch.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe water supply of the Gaza Strip has been unstable and under great strain for decades, resulting in major problems with the quality, reliability, and acceptability of drinking water. Destruction of water infrastructure and concerns over the quality of piped water have resulted in a complex constellation of drinking water sources. We aim to describe the different types of drinking water sources used by households, compare water quality from drinking water samples, present different water treatments used in households and highlight different insecurities around water access in households.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional household survey in North Gaza, Gaza and Rafah between January and March 2023. Using an interviewer-administered survey, we collected information on drinking water sources and insecurities and obtained a drinking water sample from the tap in the household. The water samples were analyzed for microbial contamination, nitrate, sodium and mineral content.

resultsWe collected data from 905 households. Only 3% had access to a single water source, 87% had access to two sources and 96% had access to piped water from the municipality. Piped municipal water was mainly used for hygiene and bathing, while the three most used sources for drinking were tanker trucks (82%), public taps (10%) and piped water from the municipalities (3.7%). Fecal coliform was present in 20% of water samples, 1% had high nitrate levels and nearly all samples had low mineral content. While around 15-19% of the households were sometimes or often water insecure, over 90% reported never drinking from undesirable sources, drinking unsafe water, or going to sleep thirsty. Households using municipal piped water tended to be most water secure.

conclusionsThe water quality and insecurity about accessibility and quality of water pose a health threat and need to be addressed at system level. Rebuilding the water infrastructure will be a key element during the reconstruction after the current war. It is crucial that the shortcomings of the pre-war water system are not rebuilt, and lessons are learnt from pre-war data to establish a health-promoting water system in the Gaza Strip. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

Drinking WaterWater QualityWater SupplyCross-Sectional StudiesFamily CharacteristicsHumansMiddle EastWater MicrobiologyDrinking WaterDrinking waterHousehold surveyProtracted conflictWater insecurityWater quality

Identifiers

PMID40597290
PMCPMC12220596

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.