Gaza is on the brink of an environmental and health catastrophe due to rubble and waste

The Deputy Head of the Union of Municipalities in the Gaza Strip and Mayor of Khan Younis, Dr. Alaa El-Din Al-Batta, stated that the Gaza Strip is facing a worsening environmental and health catastrophe as a result of the massive destruction caused by the Israeli war, which affected various service and vital sectors and directly impacted the lives of residents.

Al-Batta explained that the residents of the Strip are living under compounded crises and increasing environmental and health risks that could lead to the spread of infectious and serious diseases, given the near-total collapse of the health and service systems as a result of the war of annihilation that lasted for nearly two years and affected all segments of Palestinian society.

He added that municipalities face enormous challenges in dealing with hazardous waste, primarily medical waste, chemicals, and fuel residues, in addition to unexploded ordnance, which pose a direct threat to the population, due to the lack of technical and logistical capabilities necessary to handle or safely dispose of it. He pointed out that the proliferation of unregulated waste dumps exacerbates the environmental crisis, as the toxic leachate produced by the waste threatens to contaminate the groundwater aquifer, especially when the waste mixes with rainwater and is washed away during storms, sometimes reaching the tents of displaced people and shelters. This increases the likelihood of disease outbreaks, particularly among the most vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly.

Millions of Tons of Rubble

Al-Batata explained that the intense (Israeli) bombardment left behind enormous quantities of rubble in the Gaza Strip, estimated at about 70 million tons, including about 15 million tons in Khan Younis Governorate alone. There are also about 400,000 tons of rubble in the right-of-way of roads within Khan Younis, in addition to nearly 5 million tons