GazaHerald – A senior local official announced Saturday that more than 85 percent of Khan Yunis Governorate in southern Gaza has been destroyed during Israel’s two-year military campaign, leaving behind vast devastation as the recently enacted ceasefire offers the first opportunity for assessment and recovery.
Speaking at a press conference amid the ruins of the Khan Yunis municipal headquarters, Mayor Alaa al-Din al-Bata described the scale of destruction as “unprecedented,” noting that the governorate, Gaza’s largest, representing nearly a third of the enclave’s total area, or about 110 square kilometers, had been “almost entirely leveled” by sustained Israeli bombardment.
“More than 85 percent of Khan Yunis Governorate was destroyed,” al-Bata said. “This includes homes, public and private institutions, roads, infrastructure, and service and recreational facilities.”
He detailed the catastrophic impact on vital infrastructure: 210 kilometers of road networks, 85 percent of all roads in the area, were obliterated, along with 300 kilometers of the 400-kilometer water network and 150 kilometers of the 200-kilometer sewage system. The city also lost 136 parks, gardens, and recreational spaces.
Al-Bata said the destruction has generated an estimated 400,000 tons of rubble clogging the governorate’s streets, and municipal teams are struggling to clear it without fuel, machinery, or safe access to many areas.
He also warned of a mounting sanitation emergency, reporting that more than 350,000 tons of waste have accumulated due to the closure of the main landfill in the Sufa area, which remains under Israeli military control.
“We are facing a real crisis in waste removal,” al-Bata said, urging for “urgent official action” and international support to supply equipment, fuel, and power generators needed to restore basic services. “We need concerted efforts to reach the stage of recovery from the effects of this genocidal war.”
The remarks come as the first phase of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect at noon Friday, following the Israeli government’s dawn approval. The agreement, part of a plan proposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, includes a phased Israeli withdrawal, prisoner exchanges, immediate humanitarian aid delivery, and the eventual disarmament of Hamas.
Under the initial implementation, Israeli forces have reportedly withdrawn from central areas of Khan Yunis and parts of the east, as well as most of Gaza City, excluding the Shuja’iyya neighborhood and sections of Tuffah and Zeitoun. However, access to several regions, including Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Rafah, and Gaza’s coastal zone, remains restricted.
The ceasefire deal was finalized after four days of indirect talks in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh resort, mediated by Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar, and held under U.S. supervision.
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