Published on 6/18/2026
The Union of Gaza Strip Municipalities warned that the service system is on the verge of complete collapse as the occupation continues to prevent the entry of necessary materials.
Gaza Municipality spokesman Hosni Muhanna said – in an interview with Al Jazeera – that the current crisis has gone beyond the traditional fuel shortage to reach a very critical stage due to the imminent depletion of industrial oils, which represent the main nerve for operating equipment and mechanisms.
He added, “Depletion of industrial oils has become the most urgent and dangerous threat at the present time, and stopping these vital services will directly mean doubling human suffering and directly threatening public health.”
Among the most prominent sectors threatened by immediate shutdown are drinking water wells, which will deprive millions of citizens of access to usable water, as well as sewage pumping stations, which threatens the flooding of wastewater in the streets and residential neighborhoods.
The mechanisms for collecting and transporting waste are also threatened with stopping, which will lead to the accumulation of solid waste and the spread of epidemics and infectious diseases, according to the Palestinian official.
The Palestinian official pointed out that 700,000 cubic meters of solid waste have accumulated in Gaza City, explaining that the municipalities do not have the capacity to deal with these huge quantities after the occupation destroyed their equipment and machinery.
This comes in light of the extremely complex exceptional circumstances that the Gaza Strip is experiencing, as municipal authorities demand the need for urgent international intervention to enter the basic materials and industrial oils necessary to continue the work of municipalities and avoid an imminent humanitarian catastrophe.
