RAMALLAH, June 5 (Xinhua) -- An official Palestinian report said Wednesday that the ongoing Israeli attacks have caused environmental damage to the Gaza Strip, rendering it uninhabitable.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, which is observed annually on June 5, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Environmental Quality Authority in Gaza released a joint report, estimating that the total water available in Gaza is now just 10-20 percent of pre-war levels.
The report said the Israeli attacks have destroyed 350 km of the total 700 km of water mains and nine out of ten main water tanks, leaving residents without access to clean water.
It also highlighted that two water desalination plants are now operating at only 20 percent capacity, worsening the crisis. The destruction of infrastructure and fuel shortages have disrupted all wastewater treatment plants and systems, halted about 65 sewage pumps, and destroyed approximately 70 km of sewage networks.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East stated on Wednesday on social media platform X that the war in Gaza has caused catastrophic environmental damage, affecting water, air, food, and livelihoods. It noted that restoring environmental services could take decades and cannot begin until a ceasefire is achieved, describing current living conditions as horrific.
Additionally, the Gaza health authorities reported that the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks has reached 36,586, with 83,074 wounded since the conflict began in October 2023.
Israel has launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and around 250 others taken as hostages. ■
