The Israeli occupation army has destroyed approximately 90 vehicles belonging to Gaza Municipality since the beginning of the aggression and the genocide it is committing against civilians in the Gaza Strip.

The municipality stated in a statement on Saturday that the destroyed vehicles, of various sizes, include vehicles for waste collection and disposal, vehicles for sewage treatment, heavy transport vehicles and maintenance workshops, excavators, vehicles for administrative work and the emergency committee, and water tankers.

Gaza Municipality has been suffering from a shortage of vehicles even before the start of the aggression, and after the destruction of this number of vehicles, the municipality has become in a state of near-total lack of vehicles, especially those necessary for waste collection and disposal, sewage treatment, water transport, as well as excavators and other equipment necessary for the municipality to provide basic services to citizens.

Since November 1st, the occupation army has prevented fuel from reaching the municipality, resulting in a complete or near-complete cessation of essential services. This has led to a worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza city, a health and environmental catastrophe caused by the accumulation of large quantities of waste reaching about 70,000 tons. In addition, large amounts of sewage have leaked into the streets and the sea as a result of the occupation army’s targeting of sewage stations and pipelines. There is also a severe and significant water shortage, at times reaching about 90%.

The municipality affirmed that the occupation army has deliberately destroyed and targeted civilian and service facilities in the city, referring to the targeting of tens of thousands of homes, water wells, sewage stations, roads, commercial establishments, public facilities, and the uprooting of about 55,000 trees in the streets and farms.

The Israeli occupation army has also destroyed about 40 water wells and 9 water tanks of various sizes, as well as 42,000 linear meters of water networks with various diameters since the beginning of the aggression and the genocide in October of last year.

The Gaza Municipality stated in another statement on Sunday that the destroyed water wells included many local and central wells, including the Safa wells in the northeast of the Gaza city, which supply about 20% of the city’s daily needs, in addition to wells in various areas of the city.

The occupation army also destroyed about 42,000 linear meters of water networks with various diameters in various areas of the city, as well as 480 valves of various sizes in the areas it infiltrated, destroying the infrastructure and various civilian facilities.

Cutting off water sources and depleting the fuel needed to operate the wells has led to a severe water shortage in the city.

The municipality said, “Among these sources is the Mekorot line, which supplies the city with about 25% of its water needs, as well as the wells that were destroyed, which account for about 60% of the total number of wells that were operating in the city before the start of the aggression. The total number of wells was about 80. Additionally, the desalination station in the north of the city, which supplies about 10% of its daily needs, was destroyed or damaged.”

Gaza Municipality called on international institutions and human rights organizations to urgently intervene to provide vehicles and fuel in order to continue providing humanitarian services to citizens, save civilian lives, assist in the reconstruction and repair of what was destroyed by the occupation army, and provide fuel that has not reached the municipality since November 1st, 2023. (ILKHA)