Refuse smothers Palestinians in Gaza’s tents

For a six-kilometer stretch from Khan Younis to the outskirts of Mawasi, garbage litters the surrounds of tents and schools housing the displaced, as well as public markets and their makeshift shops. Similar sights mar Mawasi’s main road, stretching all the way to Deir al-Balah.

Displaced Palestinians crowded into these areas have no choice but to dispose of their trash near their tents due to the lack of allocated space. 

All the major garbage dumps are located in areas subject to Israeli military operations, while municipality trash collection has halted due to Israel’s ongoing assault of the strip and its blockade creating a persistent lack of fuel. As a result, trash has collected into piles impossible to remove.

Displaced Palestinians reside in tents only one to 10 meters from piles of garbage, breathing in their fumes that have festered over weeks. The dangers of this environmental and humanitarian disaster seem only manageable through incineration, which also produces large amounts of smoke and is toxic.

Despite Israel's wide-scale destruction of Gaza's agriculture sector over the last year, Yousef Abu Rabee has resumed farming what's left of his family's land in Beit Lahia. He is also active in providing vegetable seedlings to merchants, charity initiatives and individuals seeking to grow their own food in a time of famine.