"Israel's war on Gaza has not only razed entire neighbourhoods to the ground, displaced families multiple times and decimated medical facilities, but also poisoned the very ground and water on which Palestinians depend. Four weeks into a fragile ceasefire, which Israel has violated daily, the scale of the environmental devastation is becoming painfully clear. In Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, what was once a lively community has become a wasteland."
"Umm Hisham, pregnant and displaced, trudges through the foul water with her children. They have nowhere else to go. We took refuge here, around the Sheikh Radwan pond, with all the sufferings you could imagine, from mosquitoes to sewage with rising levels, let alone the destruction all around. All this poses a danger to our lives and the lives of our children, she said, speaking to Al Jazeera's Ibrahim Alkhalili."
"There is no doubt there are grave impacts on all citizens: Foul odours, insects, mosquitoes. Also, foul water levels have exceeded 6 metres [20ft] high without any protection; the fence is completely destroyed, with high possibility for any child, woman, old man, or even a car to fall into this pond, said Maher Salem, a Gaza City municipal officer speaking to Al Jazeera."
Homes, neighbourhoods, farms and water sources in Gaza have been severely damaged and contaminated by the war, creating immediate and long-term health risks. Entire neighbourhoods are razed, families repeatedly displaced, medical facilities decimated and infrastructure destroyed. A rainwater pond in Sheikh Radwan now holds raw sewage after pumps were destroyed, and contaminated water is rising around homes and tents amid crippled electricity and sanitation systems. Displaced residents, including pregnant women, are forced to live amid foul water, mosquitoes and debris. Municipal officials warn of overflowing sewage exceeding six metres and collapsed fencing, creating lethal hazards for children and vehicles.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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