Disruption of 60% of water, sewage services due to fuel shortage in Khan Yunis

Water, sewage and waste collection services have nearly come to a halt in the Khan Yunis Municipality in the southern Gaza Strip, with essential services dropping to 40 per cent due to the depletion of fuel reserves.

In a statement issued yesterday, the municipality explained that the fuel needed to operate water pumps, sewage stations and waste collection vehicles is running out, noting that the delivery of necessary fuel from partner organisations has been irregular and insufficient.

The Khan Yunis Municipality referred to its ongoing efforts to maintain at least basic services despite the difficult conditions caused by the ongoing Israeli assault, which has led to widespread destruction in water, sanitation, roads and waste management.

The municipality also emphasised its responsibility to more than one million displaced Palestinians who sought refuge in the city, continuing its efforts to alleviate their suffering.

Clean water has always been a limited resource in the Gaza Strip, as the region relies heavily on a network of wells and desalination plants. Since 7 October 2023, Israel has deliberately destroyed hundreds of water and sanitation facilities in Gaza to exacerbate the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinians there. This forms part of what rights groups have described as the occupation state’s genocidal policies in the enclave.

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