How has the cease-fire changed water access in Gaza? And what does it mean when the people in charge of keeping the water flowing are displaced? Host Hanna Rosin talks with Claudine Ebeid, The Atlantic’s executive producer of audio, who reports on her visit with water worker Marwan Bardawil, who is now a Gazan refugee living in Egypt. Read more about Marwan Bardawil’s journey: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/02/gaza-needs-clean-water/681583/ Listen to our previous Radio Atlantic episode with Marwan: https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2023/11/the-man-working-to-keep-the-water-on-in-gaza/675877/ Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/podsub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What is the current water situation in Gaza?
And I don't know, could you imagine, like, we've studied to be water engineers, and now we get to build our home's water system.
That's an exciting thing. You get to do the thing that you care about most, bringing water to people for your own people in your own country. That's a very powerful experience.
Yes, but more than a decade later, in 2006, Hamas wins an election, and with that comes a period of violence between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Eventually, Hamas controls Gaza, but the Palestinian Water Authority was allowed, I should say, by Hamas to continue doing its work. And I think this is because they knew that the PWA knew what to do.
They had the engineers and people need water. And Marwan, he essentially keeps his head down during this time.
What is it about him that just, did you get any insight into that? Like, what is it about him that just is able to keep focused on the task in these impossible situations?
I think Marwan's someone who just feels a great responsibility, a great responsibility to the people of Gaza and also to his own family.
I am talking about myself. All the time I am run away to issues, to the professional life, to the work, just not to keep thinking on the personal issues because it's like you will be burned by just thinking, etc., etc.
This is like your safe place is to think about the water issues.
Yes, this is the safest.
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