In the Gaza Strip, the deficit has been estimated at 16-42 MCM/yr (Table 3). Tel Aviv-Yafo in Israel.59 and most of the Gaza Strip (Figure 3). In the Egyptian town of Rafah. Most dramatically, in the Gaza Strip water levels have been dropping at rates of up to 1 m/yr and water levels in many areas now lie near or below sea level. In the northern Gaza Strip, groundwater levels have dropped by about 5 m in the period 1969-2007, while a drop of over 15 m was observed in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, with a clear acceleration from 1998 onward [Figure 5).