An algal bloom in the eastern Mediterranean Sea has forced the shutdown of five of Israel’s six desalination plants, disrupting more than 80% of the nation’s drinking water supply, according to reports published September 3 and September 5, 2026. The Israel Water Authority has ordered local councils to restrict water usage for farming, gardening, and public amenities, officials said. The government has also shut off external water to the Gaza Strip, according to the report.
Middle East Eye
Untreated sewage from Gaza may have helped cause a huge algae bloom that shut down five of Israel’s six major desalination plants on the Mediterranean, Israeli news outlet Ynet has reported.
Scientists are trying to assess possible environmental fallout from Gaza’s destroyed wastewater infrastructure, the report said.
In an alarming development, the algae bloom spread along Israel’s Mediterranean coast, disrupting seawater desalination plants that provide much of the country’s drinking water, CNN reported, citing Mekorot, Israel’s national water company.
Desalination provides at least 65 percent of Israel’s drinking water, with most plants located on the coast.
Five of Israel’s six major desalination plants, including Ashkelon, Ashdod, Palmachim, Sorek A, and Sorek B, were temporarily shut down.
Israel’s water authority said the water sector was stable as authorities increased supplies from the Sea of Galilee, groundwater wells and reservoirs while restricting some agricultural and public irrigation.
But the crisis has exposed the fragility of Israel’s dependence on desalination to major environmental disruptions.
QUESTIONS:
If this issue with water desalination continues, will it attract attention to how Israel intentionally destroyed Gazan water-treatment infrastructure?
What was the motivation for destroying Gazan infrastructure? Ethnic cleansing, by making Gaza unlivable? Collective Punishment?
How many American cities have infrastructure, like water treatment, that is vulnerable to environmental disruption?
How long are the Israeli algae blooms expected to disrupt water treatment plants in Israel?
There is no fixed end date for when the microalgae bloom will dissipate, but Israeli water authorities expect the primary disruptions to be a temporary, short-term crisis rather than a multi-month shutdown.
Current Status & Timeline Projections
Duration so far: The massive microalgae bloom began impacting Israel’s Mediterranean coastline in late August 2026, leading to the shutdown or throttling of five of Israel’s six major seawater desalination plants.
The Media Line
Partial Recovery: Operating conditions are improving gradually. While five facilities were initially knocked offline, as of early September 2026, three plants (Palmachim, Sorek A, and Sorek B) have resumed partial operations, while two (Ashkelon and Ashdod) remain closed due to high seawater turbidity.
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Mitigation Efforts: Authorities sprayed copper-containing treatments offshore via aircraft to break down the bloom and are studying whether to extend intake pipes further offshore away from coastal algae concentrations. Plants were deliberately shut off or throttled to prevent irreversible damage to reverse-osmosis filtration membranes, which could otherwise take months to replace.
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Long-Term Concerns
While current plant disruptions are expected to resolve as sea currents shift and turbidity drops, marine scientists and water researchers warn that warming ocean temperatures and shifting currents mean similar algal blooms will likely recur more frequently in the future rather than being a one-off event.
ELSEWHERE:
Gaza’s destroyed sewage system linked to ‘rare’ algae bloom shutting Israeli desalination plants (Middle East Eye - featured)
Israel’s Algae Crisis: Is ‘War Dust’ From Gaza Fueling the Crisis?, Haaretz (Israel)
Water Crisis Triggered by Gaza’s Ruin: Israel Is Paying the Price of Destruction, Haaretz (Israel)