Gaza: The Union of Gaza Strip Municipalities has issued a warning regarding the dire consequences of 700,000 tons of accumulated waste in random dumping sites. Municipalities are struggling to provide even the minimum level of essential services due to severe shortages of fuel and equipment.
According to Anadolu Agency, Alaa Al-Batta, the union's deputy head, explained the challenges municipalities face due to the massive destruction of infrastructure, fuel shortages, and the destruction of machinery and equipment during Israel's actions against Palestinians. A month has passed since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, but no tangible improvements have been observed, leaving municipalities unable to provide basic services to residents and displaced people.
The Palestinian official emphasized the looming health and environmental disaster caused by the waste buildup across Gaza. Around 700,000 tons of waste are accumulating in the northern and southern areas, as Israel restricts access to central dumping sites located in border zones it controls under the ceasefire. This waste accumulation has led to the spread of mosquitoes and rodents and has contaminated groundwater.
Al-Batta highlighted Gaza's fuel shortage as a critical crisis, particularly affecting municipalities. They are forced to borrow fuel, and when unavailable, daily operations must be reduced because service vehicles and facilities cannot operate. He called for urgent Arab and international action to supply the necessary fuel to maintain essential services.
Regarding the water crisis, Al-Batta noted unprecedented levels due to the destruction of more than 700 wells across Gaza by Israel over two years, which accounts for 80-85% of all municipal wells. The daily per capita water share has plummeted from 90 liters to just 10-15 liters. Groundwater and the environment have been contaminated as sewage has leaked into the soil following the deliberate targeting of sewage networks during the war.
Al-Batta also addressed additional challenges, including severe conditions faced by municipal employees, resulting in the deaths of many workers, while others continued working without pay. Over 200 municipal workers were killed during their duties, and approximately 5,000 employees have worked without salaries for 735 days.
He reported that municipal buildings were directly targeted during the two-year war, with Israeli strikes destroying municipal equipment in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Jabalia. Fifteen bulldozers, donated by Arab states and Egypt during a previous ceasefire, were destroyed by Israel.
According to Gaza's Government Media Office, the municipal and services sector has suffered losses amounting to about $6 billion over two years of conflict. Israel's restrictions on the entry of new machinery severely limit municipalities' ability to clear rubble, remove waste, reopen streets, and manage the mounting crises.
The Gaza Media Office estimates that the conflict has resulted in 70 million tons of rubble, under which thousands of bodies of Palestinians remain trapped. Approximately 9,500 Palestinians are missing, with many buried under destroyed homes or their fate unknown. Israel's actions since October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of more than 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injuries to over 170,700 others in Gaza.