The Union of Municipalities of the Gaza Strip has warned of a dangerous and rapid deterioration in basic municipal services—foremost among them water, sanitation, and waste management. This crisis is a direct result of the continuous ban on entering industrial oils, solar fuel, spare parts, vehicle tires, pumps, and equipment necessary to operate and maintain vital facilities.
The Union emphasized that the industrial oils crisis has become the most dangerous and urgent threat, given that power generators, water wells, sewage stations, and municipal vehicles and equipment depend on them directly. It explained that running out of these oils will cause equipment and facilities to stop working completely, even if limited quantities of solar fuel are available.
Furthermore, the Union pointed out that municipalities and water and sanitation facilities need to operate dozens of wells and stations for long hours daily to provide more than 140,000 cubic meters of water designated for domestic use and drinking. Simultaneously, municipalities pump about 60,000 cubic meters of sewage daily into the sea to prevent it from accumulating inside residential areas.
Regarding waste management, the Union clarified that municipalities continue to collect and remove more than 3,000 cubic meters of waste daily from various areas of the Gaza Strip. However, the continuation of the oil, fuel, and spare parts crisis threatens to completely halt collection and transport vehicles. This would lead to the accumulation of waste inside residential neighborhoods and shelter centers, increasing the risks of spreading diseases, epidemics, insects, and rodents.
The Union confirmed that the continuation of this crisis portends a total collapse of the basic municipal services system, threatens public health and the environment, and doubles the suffering of more than two million citizens in the Gaza Strip.
In this context, the Union of Municipalities of the Gaza Strip held the Zionist enemy entity fully and directly responsible for the imminent collapse of municipal services and the resulting serious humanitarian, health, and environmental repercussions. It demanded the immediate and urgent entry of industrial oils, solar fuel, spare parts, vehicle tires, pumps, and all operational and maintenance requirements.
The Union called on the United Nations and international and humanitarian institutions to intervene urgently to prevent the collapse of water, sanitation, and waste management services. It demanded the immediate and permanent opening of crossings and a guarantee for the free and regular flow of materials and equipment necessary to sustain basic services.
It also stressed the necessity of providing urgent and sustainable international support to rehabilitate the water, sanitation, and municipal services infrastructure. The Union warned that time is running out, and that any further delay in providing operational supplies will lead to a large-scale humanitarian, health, and environmental disaster that may be difficult to contain—a situation that demands urgent and responsible international action before it is too late.
