Gaza mayor flays Israel's bombing of municipal machinery as garbage piles up, endangers people's health

By Hosni Nadim

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army has destroyed about 70% of the Gaza Municipality's heavy and medium machinery since the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7, City Mayor Yahya Al-Sarraj said on Monday.

The army destroyed more than 90 out of 130 vehicles in a deliberate bombardment of the municipality at a time when it already had a severe shortage of vehicles, Al-Sarraj told Anadolu.

And the residents' pain and suffering were exacerbated by a fuel shortage, with the city receiving the much-needed commodity for the last time on Oct. 31, he added.

He sought international assistance in providing vehicles and machinery to remove debris, open roads, and provide citizens with water and sanitation services.

The mayor also talked about water scarcity in the city, saying the municipality cannot provide the required amount, including portable water.

Accumulation of many tons of garbage in the city emits toxic gases that harm people's health, he also pointed out the current situation in the city, adding that sewage water is overflowing in streets, schools, shelters, and some hospitals due to the destruction that has affected the entire infrastructure.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas which Tel Aviv says killed 1,200 people.

At least 24,100 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 60,834 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

According to the UN, 85% of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Ankara