麻豆APP

7 May 2026

In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, OCHA says that to mitigate potentially life-threatening risks of fire, sanitation workers must be allowed to remove waste from displacement sites and residential areas and transport it to Gaza’s designated landfills.

Just last Friday, UN teams mobilised water tankers and machinery to support crews responding to a fire at Firas market, in the centre of Gaza City – right next to people’s shelters.

With designated landfills becoming inaccessible during hostilities, the Firas market has been used as a major solid waste dump, with trash now covering an entire city block and exceeding four floors in height.

Sanitation partners report that Gaza’s two sanitary landfills are near the perimeter fence surrounding the Strip, where access needs to be enabled by the Israeli authorities. They also stress the need for permissions to bring into Gaza machinery to remove waste, rubble and explosive ordnance, as well as the spare parts required to operate that equipment.

These permissions are also critical for addressing health risks associated with pests and rodents.

Meanwhile, partners say people’s access to water remains challenging. With infrastructure destroyed, some 40 partners are delivering roughly 20,000 cubic metres of water by truck every day – an operation that’s heavily dependent on fuel and sustained funding.

To meet the need for drinking and cooking water, families are required to collect it directly from trucks at about 2,000 distribution points. Yet many people lack adequate containers for collecting and storing water, and service providers are unable to fully ensure equitable distribution.

In the West Bank, humanitarians warn that foot-and-mouth disease is now increasing concerns for vulnerable Bedouin and herding communities, whose livestock is their primary source of income and food. Partners say that movement restrictions and insecurity are complicating timely vaccination and veterinary response efforts.