Amid the rubble left by the ongoing conflict, bulldozers race to remove waste in Gaza, but residents’ frustration grows as young people sift through garbage on the streets, signaling a growing health crisis.
“We can’t sleep, we can’t eat, we can’t drink, the smell is killing us,” said Ahmed Shaloula, a Palestinian displaced from Gaza City who now lives in Khan Younis. Since the start of the confrontation between Israel and Hamas in October, Palestinians have faced constant crises, from Israeli airstrikes to food and water shortages.
The accumulation of garbage in this densely populated enclave has caused diseases such as scabies. Shaloula and others are urging the local government to act, but after nine months of war, such calls seem implausible. The fighting has caused casualties and left Gaza’s infrastructure in ruins.
Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city, faces serious waste control exacerbated by fuel shortages, according to Omar Matar, the municipality’s waste disposal manager. He warned about bad odors, the proliferation of parasites and water contamination, which are aggravating the crisis.
Matar noted that the disposal site was poorly designed, leading to the infiltration of liquids into Gaza’s main groundwater source, further endangering the health of residents.
(With agencies. )