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Water desalination

General view of a water desalination facility near Rishon LeZion, central Israel, September 2, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
September 2, 2026, 4:41 pm
New masterplan needed after desalination shutdown underlines dangers of tech overreliance
Experts blast complacency, urge reviving wells, natural buffers, and conservation to lower the 80% of drinking water that comes from coastal facilities
By Sue Surkes
Emergency drinking water tanks are placed near the Old City of Jerusalem amid nationwide water supply disruptions, September 1, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
September 1, 2026, 2:41 pm
Desalination plants again shut down due to murky seawater; farmers sound the alarm
With 5 of 6 facilities again closed amid rising seawater turbidity, local authorities told to curb water use; farmers lament risk to crops, livestock
By Sue Surkes and ToI Staff
View of the Sorek Desalination Plant, on November 22, 2018. (Isaac Harari/Flash90)
August 31, 2026, 2:16 pm
Almost all of Israel’s desalination plants shut due to weather; source denies cyberattack
5 of 6 facilities temporarily close due to ‘severe turbidity,’ prompting limits for agriculture use; incident follows recent hack on US water systems, allegedly by Iran
By ToI Staff and Sue Surkes
A view of the island of Qeshm, which oversees the strategic waterway of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, on December 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)
March 31, 2026, 4:39 pm
Iranian media says desalination plant on Gulf island non-functional after airstrikes
Iran’s foreign minister had said a US strike took place on March 7 on Qeshm Island, a popular yet heavily militarized tourist destination for Iranians
By AFP and ToI Staff
The Sorek desalination plant operates in Rishon LeZion, Israel, May 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty, File)
March 31, 2026, 5:34 am
What do Trump’s threats to bomb Iran desalination plants mean for rest of Mideast?
Analysts warn biggest danger may not be what US could do to Iran, but how Tehran could retaliate, given that Gulf states depend on desalination for vast majority of water supply
By ANNIKA HAMMERSCHLAG
The Soreq B desalination plant in central Israel. (Itay Dodi, Water Authority)
January 25, 2026, 4:24 pm
Desalination plant in central region goes into full operation
Soreq B in Rishon Lezion will produce 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water annually; with other plants, will meet 70-80% of the country’s potable water needs
By Sue Surkes
Screenshot from a Facebook post by the Emirates' official news agency, WAM.
August 31, 2025, 2:54 pm
UAE opens pipeline to channel desalinated water from Egypt to southern Gaza
Project expected to provide clean drinking water to hundreds of thousands in al-Mawasi area, where many displaced Gazans reside
By Sue Surkes
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian giving an address on the anniversary of the death of the country's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini at the latter's mausoleum in Tehran on June 3, 2025. (Iranian Presidency / AFP)
August 13, 2025, 8:44 pm
‘A mirage’: Iran’s president dismisses Netanyahu’s water-tech offer amid shortages
A day after PM suggested Iranians ‘take to the streets’ to protest the situation, Masoud Pezeshkian slams offer from nation ‘that deprives Gaza of water’
By AFP and ToI Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a glass of water in a video address to the Iranian people, on August 12, 2025. (Government Press Office)
August 12, 2025, 10:01 pm
Netanyahu, touting Israeli water tech, calls on drought-ravaged Iranians to oppose regime
Ex-PM Naftali Bennett makes similar video statement, saying Jerusalem wants to share desalination techniques with a free Iran, after Iran’s president laments water, power problems
By ToI Staff and Agencies
Palestinians collect clean drinking water at a desalination plant that now operates round the clock in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
December 26, 2024, 11:35 am
Water desalination quietly returns to Gaza, after work by Israel and PA
Repair of Deir al-Balah plant, connected to Israel’s power grid, seen as potential roadmap for Palestinian Authority’s involvement in postwar Gaza
By AFP
Inside the Sorek A Desalination Plant, November 2015. (Yossi Zamir/FLASH90)
September 19, 2024, 3:16 pm
Study shows magnesium deficiency in desalinated water could lead to diseases
Researchers urge government to add mineral to water to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes and ischemic stroke, and drastically cut national healthcare costs
By Diana Bletter
Palestinians gather to fill water jugs near one of the strip's few functioning desalination plants in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
June 27, 2024, 6:55 am
Israel said preparing to increase Gaza’s water supply, but final approvals needed
Under pressure from allies to ease humanitarian crisis, Netanyahu government planning to directly supply electricity to large water desalination plant in Khan Younis
By Emily Rose and Jonathan Landay
In this April 30, 2020, photo, Palestinian engineer Raed Nakhal from Palestine Children Relief Fund, right, and engineer Abdullah Dewik, check the Watergen machine that generates safe drinking water from air on the roof of al-Rantisi pediatric hospital in Gaza City. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
June 6, 2024, 9:14 pm
Israelis, Palestinians to launch joint bid to bring humanitarian aid to post-war Gaza
Damour for Community Development in Gaza and Arava Institute for Environmental Studies form group of companies aiming to provide off-grid services to ravaged territory
By Sue Surkes
European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice President Gelsomina Vigliotti (right) with Alan Tavir, CEO of IDE Technologies Group and European Union Ambassador to Israel Dimiter Tzantchev announce EIB support for Western Galilee desalination project, June 25, 2023. (Courtesy)
June 25, 2023, 9:28 pm
EU financial arm to invest €900m in Israel, including Western Galilee desalination
European Investment Bank allocates €150 million for water facility plus €500m in Bank Leumi credit to encourage green business projects, and assesses €250m for Tel Aviv light rail
By Sharon Wrobel
Screen capture from video of desalinated water being released from production plants to flow into the Sea of Galilee, December 28, 2022. (Twitter. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
December 28, 2022, 11:36 am
Pioneering plan inaugurated to top up Sea of Galilee with desalinated water
In world first, water produced from the sea will be pumped into Israel’s largest freshwater lake to maintain levels even in parched years
By ToI Staff and Sue Surkes
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