The UNICEF Water Under Fire report documents a three‑fold increase in attacks on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems in conflict zones between 2021 and 2025, with incidents climbing from fewer than 45 across eight countries to over 135 across 15 countries.

Covering the period from January 2021 to June 2026, the study records airstrikes, sabotage and restrictions on spare‑part supplies, identifying seven categories of assault ranging from strikes on treatment plants to deliberate contamination of water sources.

Examples include Sudan, where by March 2024 only one of 13 water‑treatment plants in Khartoum state remained fully operational, and the Gaza Strip, where more than 130,000 metres of sewage pipelines have been destroyed since October 2023.

The report notes that water supply can be disrupted even when pipes and pumps stay intact, citing a November 2025 drone attack on an Iraqi gas field that cut regional electricity generation by about 80 percent and forced authorities to ration water services.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that these attacks deprive children of safe drinking water and essential services that rely on water to function effectively.

The agency highlights indirect consequences, stating that lack of clean water hampers health systems’ ability to sterilise equipment, deliver safe childbirth and prepare therapeutic milk for severely malnourished children.

Children are also at heightened risk while queuing for water, with documented cases of injury and death, and women and girls face increased exposure to sexual violence and loss of schooling when fetching water for their families.

The report recorded the killing of 14 water‑facility workers in Lebanon during the 2024 conflict, underscoring the danger faced by staff maintaining essential services.

Funding shortfalls exacerbate the crisis; of the 137.9 million people needing WASH assistance, only 26 percent of the required funding has been secured this year, limiting humanitarian capacity to keep water flowing.

Russell called on warring parties, donors and humanitarian actors to protect WASH facilities, establish systematic data‑collection on attacks, ensure safe access for workers and invest in conflict‑resilient service models.