Gaza’s municipal authorities have warned that the city is facing a mounting public‑health and environmental disaster after fuel supplies dried up, preventing essential waste collection services from operating. Refuse lorries have been grounded, leaving vast quantities of rubbish abandoned on the streets, in addition to informal dumping grounds that residents have created.

According to officials, more than 350,000 cubic metres of waste have already accumulated, with crews unable to reach the main landfill at Juhr al‑Dik owing to the severe movement restrictions imposed under the region’s genocidal war. The suspension of refuse‑clearance services has cast thousands of homes into jeopardy as stinking refuse piles up in alleyways and public spaces.

Local leaders warn that the growing mountain of waste, rotting under the scorching sun and in sweltering heat, could soon trigger outbreaks of disease across the city, disproportionately affecting families already suffering the hardships of war. They are issuing an urgent appeal for immediate delivery of fuel and safe passage for sanitation workers to prevent a full‑blown public‑health catastrophe.