DaysofPal- Gaza’s municipalities are facing severe and unprecedented challenges in responding to the powerful winter storm sweeping across the Strip, as a total lack of fuel and massive destruction to infrastructure cripple emergency efforts, local officials said on Monday.
The Gaza Municipality confirmed it is struggling to deal with the current low-pressure system battering the region, noting that rainwater drainage operations have become nearly impossible due to extensive damage inflicted on infrastructure and sewage networks by ongoing Israeli bombardment across the city.
In statements, municipal officials explained that the absence of sufficient fuel to operate the remaining water pumps and heavy machinery has severely undermined field teams’ ability to respond to repeated distress calls from residents.
Torrential rainfall has flooded large areas of the city and numerous displacement shelters, while municipal crews are forced to rely on rudimentary, manual tools that are grossly inadequate for the scale of the unfolding disaster.
The municipality renewed its urgent appeal to the international community and humanitarian organizations to intervene immediately, calling for pressure to accelerate the entry of mobile housing units (caravans), emergency heating supplies, and fuel.
Officials warned that thousands of families are now left exposed to heavy rain and freezing temperatures after losing their homes, amid an ongoing siege and the near-total collapse of essential public services.
The humanitarian crisis has deepened further south. Saeb Al-Laqan, spokesperson for the Khan Younis Municipality, said the third, and most severe, storm of the winter has dramatically worsened conditions in the governorate. Municipal operations there are nearly paralyzed due to a complete fuel shortage and a ban on diesel entry for more than a week.
In a press statement, Al-Laqan said heavy rainfall and strong winds have turned low-lying areas west of Khan Younis into vast flood zones. These areas include Al-Mawasi, north and south, where more than 900,000 displaced people are sheltering. He noted that the makeshift tents, many of which have been standing for over two years, can no longer withstand the elements, with dozens torn apart or swept away during the latest storm.
He also revealed that Israeli forces have destroyed more than 240,000 linear meters of road networks in Khan Younis, erasing road markings and allowing floodwaters and runoff to flow unchecked through neighborhoods and displacement centers. The mixing of rainwater with sewage and waste has raised serious concerns about the imminent spread of disease and epidemics.
Although municipal teams have carried out limited emergency interventions, such as reinforcing vulnerable areas with sandbags and opening primitive access routes, Al-Laqan stressed that these efforts are severely constrained by the lack of fuel and machinery. He emphasized that the municipality has not received a single liter of diesel for more than a week, even as the storm reaches its peak.
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