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

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army has destroyed about 70% of the Gaza Municipality’s heavy and medium machinery since October 7, City Mayor Yahya Al-Sarraj has said.

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 reported.

The residents’ pain and suffering were exacerbated by a fuel shortage, with the city receiving the much-needed commodity for the last time on October 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 potable water.

Accumulation of many tons of garbage in the city emits toxic gases that harm people’s health, he said, adding that sewage water is overflowing in streets, schools, shelters, and some hospitals.

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip on October 7, as a result of which at least 24,100 Palestinians have 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 has been damaged or destroyed.