Palestinians were seen trying to navigate their way through the streets of Gaza’s Khan Younis, which have been flooded with sewage and dirty water, amid the on-going conflict that has reduced much of the enclave into wasteland.
One resident in the area said the overflowing sewage has swept into their homes and neighbourhoods, and he is worried about the health of his children.
“The entire area, when the Israeli army entered the area of Khan Younis, (they) caused a lot of damage, and the sewage has entered the homes,” said Mohammed al-Bayouk.
“The greatest suffering is what our children suffer from at home and the smell from the sewage.”
Palestinian doctor Marwan al-Homs said that destroyed infrastructure and the lack of clean water is causing public health concerns.
“All the causes of these diseases and epidemics that are spreading in the Gaza Strip are a result of the Israeli occupation’s destruction of infrastructure,” said al-Homs.
The ongoing war began when Hamas-led fighters burst into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages, including civilians and soldiers, back into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
The offensive launched by Israel in retaliation has killed nearly 38,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry, and has left the heavily built-up coastal enclave in ruins.
The Gaza health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, but officials say most of the dead are civilians. Israel says 317 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza and that at least a third of the Palestinian dead are fighters.
(REUTERS)