Now, three-quarters of Gaza’s two million people are refugees.
And the desalinated drinking water used by two-thirds of Gazans, according to tests by the Palestinian Water Authority, is prone to faecal contamination, causing more disease and making it a severe risk for Gaza’s children.
Yet arguing for Palestinian water rights is akin to debating the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
For years Bashir continued to submit "a long list" of material for Israeli approval, including pipes, pumps, and spare parts for the desalination plant.
A consensus is now emerging between the Palestinian Authority, the UN, international donors, and even, it appears, the Israeli army, to establish a network of large desalination and sewage plants.
"Of course Gaza needs this project," says Rebhi al Sheikh, former deputy minister for the Ramallah-based Palestinian Water Authority.
The PA’s concerns about Gaza’s water crisis are joined by humanitarian agencies, foreign governments, and even, it appears, an emergency response committee of the Israeli army.
Some officials question whether Israel would decide to bomb the desalination plants in the next Gaza war, just as it bombed Gaza’s power plant and other critical infrastructure in previous wars.
Other risks abound, both with Gaza’s water and its sewage, which flows into the sea at a rate of 110 million litres a day.
These risks flow well beyond Gaza’s borders, flowing north in the currents.