SHOTLIST:
DEIR AL-BALAH, PALESTINE (SEPT. 23, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. PALESTINIANS LINED IN QUEUE FOR WATER WITH WATER CONTAINERS

2. PALESTINIAN GIRL SITTING ON WATER CONTAINER AS SHE WAITS IN LINE

3. WATER CONTAINERS AND BOTTLES LINED ON GROUND

4. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIAN CHILD FILLING WATER CONTAINERS WITH HOSE AS PALESTINIANS WAITING IN LINE

5. PALESTINIANS PLACING BASIN FILLED WITH WATER ONTO WHEELCHAIR

6. PALESTINIAN MAN PULLING HAND CART FILLED WITH WATER CONTAINERS

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ONE OF PALESTINIAN MEN AT WATER DISTRIBUTION POINT SAYING:

"I walked one and a half to two kilometers to try to get water, but there is no water and no food. As you can see, life is hard.

[...]We don’t want the war to continue because we have suffered a lot from this situation we are living in."

8. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS CARRYING WATER BOTTLES AND PUSHING CARTS FILLED WITH WATER BOTTLES/ WATER BOTTLES BEING FILLED

9. PALESTINIAN GIRL SITTING ON WATER CONTAINERS LINED IN QUEUE FOR WATER DEIR AL-BALAH, PALESTINE - SEPT. 23, 2025: Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip's Deir Al-Balah are walking long distances in search of clean water after Israeli strikes destroyed much of the enclave’s water infrastructure.

Residents line up for hours under the scorching sun at distribution points, often only to find supplies exhausted. “There is no water and no food. As you can see, life is hard,” said one man who walked nearly two kilometers, only to return empty-handed.

The Gaza Government Media Office said in July that Israeli forces have destroyed at least 112 water-filling stations and 720 wells since October 2023, systematically dismantling the enclave’s water network.

Families described long lines of women and children waiting with empty containers for limited supplies, while municipalities and rights groups accuse Israel of using thirst as a weapon against civilians.

Last month, the UN humanitarian office reported that 96% of households in Gaza lack secure access to water, while nine in 10 Palestinians cannot obtain drinking water.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) also warned of “catastrophic” conditions as soaring summer heat compounded the shortage.

UN investigators recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, where more than 65,300 people have been killed since October 2023.

Reporting by / Writing by Ayse Elif Erdis