Transforming the Water-Energy Nexus in Gaza: A Systems Approach.

The acute water and electricity shortages in Gaza necessitate comprehensive solutions that recognize the interconnected nature of these vital resources. This article presents pragmatic solutions to align supply with fundamental needs in both domains, offering viable pathways for achieving strategic water-energy security in Gaza. Baseline data reveals a deficit in the current water supply, falling below the international minimum of 100 L per capita per day, while the reported 137-189 MW per day electricity supply significantly lags behind the estimated 390 MW per day peak demand. To meet projected 2024 residential, commercial, and industrial demands, this study proposes actionable measures including expanding wastewater treatment to enable over 150 MCM per year tertiary effluents for agricultural reuse and adopting energy-efficient forward osmosis-reverse osmosis and osmotically assisted reverse osmosis desalination methods to increase potable water supply to 150 MCM per year. Electricity supply strategies include scaling renewable capacity towards 110 MW per day, exploring regional cooperation to unlock over 360 MW of power per day, and potentially recovering up to 60 MW per day through system efficiencies. These recommendations aim to prevent exacerbated scarcity and alleviate hardships in Gaza.

Rantissi T ，Gitis V ，Zong Z ，Hankins N ... -  《GLOBAL CHALLENGES》

Feasibility and optimal sizing analysis of hybrid PV/Wind powered seawater desalination system: A case study of four ports, Egypt.

This research aims to investigate A novel and complete system consists of hybrid renewable energy farm with high-energy-consuming seawater desalination in fourth locations in Egypt. This paper proposes fuzzy-based multi-criteria decision-making model for optimal sizing of a hybrid PV/Wind/Storage system to power the reverse osmosis (RO) desalination process in order to increase freshwater availability and meet the electric load requirement in selected area. Firstly, according to collected data and cost of electricity (COE) for various renewable energy resources, specific procedures to determining the optimal system design and optimal sizing (solar cell, wind turbine parameter and storage system units) are presented for selected site. The optimization based on finding the minimum net present cost (NPC) feeds the load demand and maintains the system's reliability. Secondly, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is implemented to select the optimal system considering ten performance criteria. The results show that the feasible design consists of 16 × 100-kWwind turbines, 4127-kW photovoltaic array, 153 PH245 storages and 710-kW converter. The feasible design has the optimal economic values among all criteria with least NPC, COE, and payback-period (PBP) of $9,08,046, 0.091$/kWh and 1.1 yr, respectively. Besides, it has a 100 % renewable energy system (RES). In contrast to recent studies that concentrated on incorporating renewable energy sources into desalination systems at specific Egyptian location. This approach is applied to different case studies with diverse renewable energy resources in multiple locations across Egypt, thus providing valuable insights for decision-makers tackling electricity and water shortages throughout Egypt. This research fills a gap in the optimization of hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) by taking into account a variety of sustainability criteria, including technological feasibility, cost-effectiveness, emissions reduction, and socio-political considerations, in contrast to other studies that concentrated on single aims. Additionally, the research presents fuzzy logic and fuzzy-AHP and fuzzy-VIKOR decision-making techniques, enabling a comprehensive assessment of system design alternatives while taking uncertainties into consideration. In general, this study makes a significant addition to the field of renewable energy integration and gives decision-makers a framework for choosing the best answers to Egypt's water and electricity problems.

Elsayed I ，Kanaan H ，Mehanna M 《Heliyon》

Regional Water and Food Security Require Joint Israeli-Palestinian Guidelines for Wastewater Reuse and Food Safety.

Ben Mordechay E ，Abdeen Z ，Robeen S ，Schwartz S ，Abdeen AM ，Mordehay V ，Troen AM ，Chefetz B ，Tal A ... -  《-》

Assessment of Health and Well-Being Effects Associated With the Challenging Drinking Water Situation in the Gaza Strip: Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Household Survey Study.

The water supply in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, has been unstable and under strain for decades, resulting in major issues with drinking water quality, reliability, and acceptability. In 2018, between 25% and 30% of Gazans did not have regular access to running water. The progressive deterioration of water infrastructure and concerns over the quality of piped water have resulted in a complex mix of drinking water sources used in the Gaza Strip. The challenges of safe water provision in the Gaza Strip could potentially have severe adverse effects on the population's health and well-being. The main objectives of this survey are to determine the quality of drinking water at the household level and to investigate the association of various health outcomes with water quality at the household level in the Gaza Strip. We conducted a cross-sectional household survey in the North Gaza, Gaza, and Rafah governorates between January and March 2023. We selected a subsample of households from a representative cross-sectional survey conducted in the Gaza Strip in 2020 with persons aged 40 years and older. From each household in the 2023 survey, we invited 3 individuals (2 older than 40 years and 1 between 18 and 30 years) to participate. The face-to-face interview included questions on drinking water, mental health and well-being, self-reported diagnoses for selected diseases, use of antibiotics, and knowledge about antimicrobial resistance. Additionally, we measured each participant's blood pressure. We sampled drinking water from each household and analyzed the samples for microbial contamination, nitrate, sodium, and mineral content. In total, we visited 905 households and interviewed 2291 participants. In both age groups, more female participants were interviewed. A total of 56.60% (914/1615) were aged ≥40 years, and 58.9% (398/676) were aged between 18 and 30 years. We obtained water samples from nearly all households (902/905, 99.8%). The results are expected to be published in several papers in 2025. The extensive survey components, coupled with drinking water testing and building on an existing survey, allowed us to identify a broad set of potential impacts on health and well-being and to track changes over time. This study intends to identify humanitarian and development interventions that could impact the population served most. However, we completed data collection before the escalation of violence in October 2023. Given the impact of the still ongoing conflict, the initial intent of this work is no longer valid. However, the results emerging from the survey may still serve as a valuable baseline to assess the impacts of the current escalations on physical and mental health and on drinking water quality. In addition, our findings could provide important information for rebuilding the Gaza Strip in a more health-promoting way. DERR1-10.2196/63415.

Brugger C ，Dietler D ，Abu Hamad BA ，van Gastel T ，Sittaro F ，Rossi R ，Owen BN ，Probst-Hensch N ，Winkler MS ... -  《JMIR Research Protocols》

Suboptimal Attainment of Global Goals of Human Rights, Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals in Gaza During 2023-2024.

The Israel military occupation, ongoing for over 75 years, has profoundly impacted the health and well-being of Palestinians. Despite longstanding calls for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and sustainable development, the response of global health systems and organizations to crises such as the recent large-scale military assault on Gaza in October 2023 has been inadequate. There is a critical need to examine why these global health approaches have failed and how they can be restructured to address the unique challenges in Gaza effectively. This analysis aims to analyze the shortcomings of global health strategies in the context of the Gaza crisis during 2023-2024, evaluate their alignment with UHC and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and propose actionable solutions to enhance their relevance and effectiveness in conflict-affected settings. The ongoing military assault has rendered Gaza uninhabitable, exacerbating mass human loss, destruction, health insecurity, and widespread social inequities. The crisis has highlighted the erosion of health systems and the inability to meet basic population needs. Global health strategies, as currently implemented, fail to address the specific challenges of Gaza, including ensuring human rights for health, achieving UHC, and advancing SDGs. These failures are rooted in a lack of context-specific adaptation, inadequate accountability, and unresponsive global health diplomacy. The analysis concludes that global health entities and organizations have been largely ineffective in responding to the Gaza crisis, resulting in significant inequities and failures in life-saving actions. To address these challenges, there is an urgent need to tackle the factors behind the ineffective role of these organizations and suboptimal attainment of global goals. This role of global health should be redefined. Reforming the existing global health architecture and shaping well-representative alliances by involving influential actors from the Global South is a priority. These alliances should prioritize accountability, advocacy, and diplomacy while developing innovative and context-specific approaches to safeguard human rights, achieve UHC, and promote sustainable development in Palestine.

Alkhaldi M ，Akilan B ，Hoteit M ，Elhadidy M ，Morrison S ... -  《Risk Management and Healthcare Policy》