The municipality of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip has raised alarms over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions caused by the Israeli occupation forces' decision to reduce the humanitarian zone in the city. With nearly one million displaced individuals crammed into a narrow strip amid soaring temperatures, concerns over the spread of diseases and epidemics are on the rise.
In a statement released on Sunday, the municipality highlighted its struggle to provide essential resources such as clean water, citing that several water wells and tanks are out of service. The accumulation of waste in the streets due to the inability of municipal vehicles to reach waste dumps further exacerbates the dire situation. According to the Director of Supply and Equipment of the Civil Defense in Gaza, Muhammad Al-Mughir, the Israeli forces are intentionally forcing repeated displacements of citizens, confining them to less than 11% of the Gaza Strip's area.
The situation worsened when new Israeli evacuation orders for areas east of Deir al-Balah rendered 10 out of 19 water wells non-operational, as explained by Ismail Sarsour, the head of the Emergency Committee in the municipality. The consequences are particularly severe for vulnerable populations, including children, the sick, and the elderly, as noted by Adnan Abu Hasna, media advisor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA). He described the overcrowded humanitarian zone as having descended into a state of 'hell' for the displaced.
