By Helga Merkelbach
Since August 31, 2026, five of Israel’s six seawater desalination plants have been fully or partially shut down due to an extraordinary algal bloom, measuring 100 km in length (North-South), 7 km in width, and 20 m in depth (satelite photos). As of today (September 20), this has resulted in a 50% reduction in water production for 80% of Israel’s drinking water supply. According to a hearing held by the State Control Committee, the situation is expected to persist until the end of the year.
Blue Mediterranean Sea by Tel Aviv in the past – today green with algae © H. Merkelbach
The algae phenomenon is of natural origin, but its extent is influenced by weather conditions, ocean currents, sunlight and the amount of organic matter in the water. The algae are microscopic and can pass through the filtration systems at the desalination facilities’ seawater intake points. While the plants could continue to operate under these conditions, long-term damage to the membranes is possible, which would necessitate an expensive replacement costing several million shekels.
In German-speaking regions, Jüdische Allgemeine, Fokus Jerusalem, haGalil, and Israel Zwischenzeilen have reported on the matter, but none of the German mainstream media outlets have done so yet. Washington Post and BBC point to the impact of sewage from Gaza and the serious implications of water security. Al Jazeera speaks of the toxic waste of war that the Israeli government cannot insulate its citizens from.
In Israel and the Israeli media, the causes of this extraordinary event and its unusual duration are largely being obscured, and its significance and consequences downplayed.
At a press conference on September 7, 2026, Eli Cohen, the Minister of Energy, Water and Infrastructure, sought to reassure the public that the water supply was not at risk and stated he was unaware of any link to wastewater flowing from Gaza into the Mediterranean. On September 18, readers learned via Haaretz about a State Control Committee hearing that highlighted the gravity of the situation.
The causes of this algal bloom – exceptional globally in terms of both scale and duration – are manifold: Its origin in the Nile Delta is clear, as is the fact that ocean currents are driving it northward. A severe storm on Sunday, August 31, accelerated this process and supplied the algae with nutrients and oxygen.
This storm was no ordinary natural event. When the Mediterranean heats up drastically during late summer and autumn, it provides abundant energy for severe storms and so-called “Medicanes” (Mediterranean hurricanes). In August, the Mediterranean’s surface temperature reached an average of 28.54°C, the highest level recorded since 1940. The warmth caused the algae to proliferate more rapidly. This summer, the extreme heat and drought – worldwide and especially in Europe – have caused skeptics of human-induced climate change to reconsider their views.
On their way to the Israeli coast, the algae encountered nutrients from Gaza’s sewage, 40 cubic meters daily. This factor is not even addressed in the government hearing, as it points to Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza: Most sewage treatment plants have been destroyed or damaged, four in every five sewage pumping stations are not functioning; Israel permits hardly any construction materials for reconstruction (citing “dual-use” risks) and restricts energy imports, meaning the operation of treatment plants is not prioritized.
The Israeli public is not being made aware of this potential link between climate change and war. West Asia is experiencing higher rates of warming than the rest of the world (two to three times higher than world average), and it is also the region where the majority of wars since World War II have been concentrated.
Scientists calculated that the first 15 months of the Gaza war generated more than 30 million tons of CO2 (accounting for destruction, debris removal, and potential reconstruction) – an amount exceeding Denmark’s annual emissions. Instead of addressing this connection (between climate change and war), the Israeli public is being reassured that the incident was not an Iranian cyberattack. Regarding the attempt to contain the algal bloom from the air using chemicals, it was stated that the substances used were not toxic to humans. During the hearing, scientists emphasized that an oil spill would be worse and statistically more likely than the current event.
The government and media are striving to reassure the public that the water supply is secure, noting that even Jordan continues to receive the water deliveries promised in the 1994 peace treaty, though households are being prioritized over agriculture, irrigation for public facilities is being reduced, and everyone is urged to use water sparingly. Little was reported about the fact that water deliveries to Gaza were initially cut off entirely; the extent to which they have since resumed remains undisclosed. A Palestinian woman – (whose identity Pressenza preserves) from Bethlehem, asked if the occupied Palestinian territories received less water momentarily, commented she had not heard about the event, but “we already always have shortage of water all year”.
According to the Water Authority, Israel’s natural water supply is expected to decline by about 15 % by 2050 as a result of climate change, driven by less rainfall, greater evaporation and more frequent drought years.
Israel proudly styles itself a global water power, boasting of the technological solutions it has developed to cope with the projected loss: drip irrigation, an Israeli invention; agriculture relying almost entirely on recycled water; the world’s lowest rate of water loss from leaking pipes and seawater desalination plants. The Kishon River has been restored and revitalized using desalinated seawater (and is maintained with an additional 1.1 million cubic meters annually). Similarly, the Sea of Galilee is being replenished with desalinated water to prevent its ecological collapse.
As a temporary measure to secure the water supply, the Minister of Energy, Water, and Infrastructure announced that water would once again be drawn from the Sea of Galilee and that new groundwater wells would be drilled. During a public hearing, the Water Authority faced accusations of having failed to adequately manage natural water resources, which had become polluted.
The Coastal and Mountain Aquifers have suffered from over-extraction, seawater intrusion, and contamination by nitrates, fuels, and chemicals. On top most of the mountain aquifers has been occupied and controlled by Israel, denying access to Palestinians and forcing them to buy their own water as a commodity – all that leading to further violence and overextraction.
Israeli extraction of Palestinian water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories © H. Merkelbach
Palestinian water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories – bought as a commodity from Israel © H. Merkelbach
The Sea of Galilee has three critical water levels: at -208.8 m (below sea level), there is a risk of flooding, requiring water to be released; at -213 m, technical pumping issues and ecological stress begin; and at -214 m, the lake is at risk of ecological collapse. In August, temperatures of 45°C were recorded around the Sea of Galilee. The water level could be observed dropping day by day. According to a report by the Jerusalem Post on September 10, 2026, 3.3 million cubic meters of water were withdrawn from the lake within ten days – while desalination plants were offline – causing the water level to drop by 10 cm, from 213.4 to 213.5 m.
Landing stage at Ein Gev on the Sea of Galilee, October 2018 © H. Merkelbach
By November 1, 2018, the water level stood at −214.62 meters below sea level.
During the hearing, it was announced that the operators of the desalination plants had already ordered new membranes. Following warnings from scientists that an oil spill could have an even worse impact on water security, the Jerusalem Post hastened to report on yet another technological solution, an aerogel that captures oil spills while helping oil-eating bacteria degrade the pollutants.
A closer examination of the interconnections between war (and war policy) and climate change (and a focus on flawed or even false technical solutions), however, would shift the focus to water as a human right and seek a just, life and planet-saving solution based on the equitable, non-profit-oriented distribution of land and water for all people.