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ציאנובקטריה השייכת לסוג Synechococcus והאצות בחוף פלמחים

Did Gaza sewage fuel the algae crisis shutting Israel’s desalination plants?

Scientists identified Synechococcus cyanobacteria behind shutdowns at most of Israel’s Mediterranean desalination plants, but experts are divided over whether sewage from Gaza helped fuel the bloom, as similar disruption is reported in Sinai

Lior Ben Ari, Ilana Curiel | 09.04.26

Algae crisis forces Israel to pay 50% more for desalinated water

Water Authority raises payments to private plants to about 4 shekels per cubic meter to keep them operating despite contamination, exposing vulnerabilities in Israel’s fully privatized desalination system

Ilana Curiel | 09.03.26

החוקרים ינסו לגרום לאצות לגדול. פלמחים, הבוקר

Desalination crisis deepens as algae threaten Israel’s last fully operating coastal plant

Israel is improvising to stabilize water supplies as microscopic algae clog desalination systems, forcing partial shutdowns, emergency well pumping and risky plant operations while officials race to identify the bloom and protect Hadera

Ilana Curiel | 09.03.26

No more heavy layers: The beauty world is switching to water-based makeup

Leading beauty magazines say water-based formulas are taking over, promising lighter texture and skin-friendly ingredients, but also requiring new application techniques

Mali Zaidman | 09.03.26

יו"ר מקורות דני סופר, השר אלי כהן ויו"ר רשות המים חזי ליפשיץ

‘Once-in-30-years phenomenon’: energy minister says desalination crisis nearly over

Three of five affected plants are partly operating again while two remain offline; Israel is tapping the Sea of Galilee and groundwater wells after algae believed to have drifted from the Nile caused unprecedented turbidity

Meir Turgeman | 09.02.26

Three desalination plants still offline as experts urge Israel to prepare for compound crises

Household supply was unaffected, but researchers warn that drought, war, pollution or cyberattacks striking together could severely disrupt Israel’s water system

Ilana Curiel | 09.02.26

Desalination crisis explained: what shut the plants, and could Israel run out of water?

Microscopic algae likely triggered shutdowns at five major plants, forcing irrigation cuts as experts warn the disruption exposes a deeper vulnerability in Israel’s water system

Ilana Curiel | 09.01.26

‘24 hours without water and the crop dies’: Negev farmers warn of collapse

Desalination shutdowns have cut irrigation during peak growing season, threatening hundreds of farms; growers warn of irreversible losses and demand government compensation

Ilana Curiel | 09.01.26

Nile Delta algae suspected in shutdown of five Israeli desalination plants

Five Mediterranean facilities are offline after severe seawater turbidity, forcing irrigation restrictions as researchers investigate a suspected microalgae bloom originating near Egypt’s Nile Delta

Ilana Curiel | 09.01.26

Tel Aviv curbs water use as most Israeli desalination plants remain shut

Sorek A has resumed operations, but most private plants remain affected by severe sea turbidity; authorities order public irrigation halted while southern agriculture faces freshwater cuts

Lihi Gordon, Ilana Curiel | 08.31.26

Israeli desalination plants shut nationwide as Negev farm water is cut

Severe seawater turbidity forced most plants offline, leaving only Hadera operating among six major facilities as Israel prioritizes household drinking water

Ilana Curiel | 08.31.26

Israel’s desalination ‘Iron Dome’ under pressure as drought drains water reserves

After the driest year on record, Israel is relying heavily on desalination as reservoirs struggle to recover; officials are now planning the world’s largest desalination plant and launching a new conservation drive

Ilana Curiel | 08.27.26

The Israel-India Watertech Conclave brings together government officials, industry representatives and technology experts as Israel seeks to expand its water-tech presence in the Indian market

Israel looks to India as next major market for tech exports

Seventeen Israeli cybersecurity and water-tech companies visit Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi as Israel seeks deeper commercial ties in the fast-growing Indian market

ynet Global | 08.26.26

Are you drinking too much water? The myths and facts behind hydration

How much water do you really need, is three liters a day a rule worth following and what can urine color reveal? The answers are less simple than they seem

Eitan Gefen | 08.21.26

From Israel to the US: Iran turns water systems into a weapon of cyberwarfare

Attacks attributed to Tehran have targeted pumps, treatment facilities and Israeli-made control systems, while strikes on desalination plants expose how easily conflict could disrupt drinking water across the arid Middle East

Ron Crissy, Dan Oren | 08.02.26