Dr. Yahya Al-Sarraj, head of the Gaza Municipalities Union, affirmed that the Gaza Strip is facing a suffocating and systematic blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation, preventing the entry of heavy equipment and fuel necessary to operate vital facilities. Al-Sarraj explained that this intransigence has led to a near-complete paralysis in the operation of water wells and electricity generators, threatening the cessation of remaining basic services provided to displaced citizens in various areas of the Strip.
Al-Sarraj warned of an imminent explosion of health and environmental crises due to the accumulation of solid and hazardous medical waste, which has led to a widespread proliferation of insects, epidemics, and rats. Local sources indicated that these rodents have begun to directly attack children while they sleep, amidst the inability of municipal teams to control random dumps due to the lack of oils and spare parts for trucks and heavy equipment.
Regarding the water sector, the head of the union revealed that residents currently receive only about 40% of their minimum drinking water needs, with expectations of this percentage decreasing during the summer. This deficit is linked to the occupation's refusal to allow the entry of fuel and electrical transformers necessary to operate desalination plants and wells, placing hundreds of thousands of families at risk of imminent thirst and drought.
For its part, the Government Media Office in Gaza reported that the Israeli occupation authorities' compliance rate in allowing the entry of agreed-upon fuel trucks has not exceeded 14% since the start of the latest understandings. The office explained that this severe shortage hinders the work of the Civil Defense, which has lost 23 vehicles due to bombing, and prevents it from removing rubble or opening vital roads for ambulances and humanitarian services.
Official statistics indicate massive destruction to infrastructure, with the occupation destroying about 90% of urban facilities and over 106,000 housing units completely. The systematic destruction also included 700 water wells and 3,000 kilometers of electricity networks, in addition to 400,000 linear meters of water networks, making rehabilitation impossible under the imposed ban on equipment.
On the humanitarian front, displaced persons in tents face a deliberate policy of starvation and constriction, as food aid is limited to very small quantities that do not meet the minimum sustenance. Government sources stated that the cooking gas crisis has worsened unprecedentedly, with each family receiving only 8 kilograms every two months, a quantity insufficient for basic needs for more than three weeks.
The Municipalities Union launched an urgent appeal to the international community and UN organizations for immediate intervention and pressure on the occupation to allow the entry of generators and spare parts necessary for infrastructure. The union stressed the need to adhere to international agreements that stipulate the entry of 600 aid trucks daily, emphasizing that the continuation of the current situation means a death sentence for the environmental system in the Strip.
Those in charge of managing the sector directed direct warnings to the international bodies overseeing the ceasefire agreement that began last October, holding them responsible for their silence regarding Israeli violations. They affirmed that the continued prevention of the entry of oils and heavy equipment aims to make Gaza an uninhabitable area, which necessitates urgent international action to break the blockade and provide the means of survival for the population.
Rats have begun to attack children while they sleep amidst the inability of municipalities to remove waste due to lack of fuel and equipment.
شارك برأيك
Gaza Municipalities Union warns of environmental and health catastrophe due to continued Israeli blockade