More than eight months of fighting between Israel and Hamas has destroyed buildings and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, leaving 39 million tons of crushed stone This has exacerbated an already severe health crisis in the region, according to a preliminary assessment of the conflict’s environmental impact released by the United Nations on Tuesday.
The latest in a series of reports from UN agencies shed light on the extent of the devastation in the Gaza Strip and the health threats posed by the war. The UN Environment Programme found that millions of tons of rubble contained unexploded ordnance, asbestos and other hazardous materials, as well as human remains.
The UN agency also found that the war had disrupted “virtually all” environmental management systems and services and created new hazards, saying all water sources in Gaza had been cut off, as had wastewater treatment and disposal facilities.
Environmental reporting complies with Post on social media The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said last week that as of early June, 330,000 tons of waste It has accumulated in or near densely populated areas across Gaza, “posing catastrophic environmental and health risks.” The United Nations Satellite Center also reported last week that About 65% As of last month, large parts of Gaza’s entire road network had been destroyed.
“The collapse of sewage, wastewater and solid waste management systems and facilities has had a significant impact on the environment and the people,” the report said. The World Health Organization has reported an increase in acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea in children under five, scabies, lice and jaundice since the early days of the conflict, the report noted.
The report said Gazans and humanitarian organizations operating in the enclave reported water rationing, forcing people to “forgo personal hygiene and sanitation needs” and drink from other sources, including agricultural wells that contain salty water, exposing people to pesticides and other chemicals. The UN agency said military activity also contaminated the water supply, including flooding and the destruction of a tunnel system built by Hamas that has been targeted by the Israeli military.
UNRWA accused the Israeli military of hampering its efforts to address environmental and health hazards in Gaza. The agency noted that a lack of fuel exacerbated sanitation problems and said the Israeli military blocked UNRWA from accessing landfills at a time when many of its health centers, machinery and garbage trucks had been destroyed.
Gaza has become the biggest challenge facing humanitarian agencies The most dangerous place The United Nations said Monday that was the lowest number of aid workers in the world, noting that at least 250 people, including nearly 200 UNRWA staff, have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began on Oct. 7 with a Hamas-led attack on Israel.
