- February 20, 2025 Storyline: The Gaza Strip is facing a severe environmental crisis, as the massive buildup of garbage in the streets and public spaces poses a significant threat to the health and well-being of its residents. Municipal services in the strip, including garbage collection, collapsed early in the conflict, leaving the streets the only option for waste disposal. Amid the devastation caused by 15 months of Israeli attacks, rebuilding basic infrastructure in Gaza is a huge task. Palestinian municipalities are unable to access border waste disposal sites, which remain under Israeli control, and most waste removal machinery has been targeted and destroyed, causing waste to accumulate throughout the Gaza Strip. The UN estimates that over 90 percent of housing units in Gaza have been damaged, with 160,000 destroyed and another 276,000 severely or partially damaged. The rubble is estimated to total around 42 million tons. Despite these difficulties, Palestinians are trying to face up to the challenges and rebuild their life by opening closed streets, partially restoring the infrastructure, and digging water wells with limited equipment. The rebuilding process is expected to take decades, with costs estimated to reach as high as 80 billion U.S. dollars. Shotlist: Gaza Strip - Recent: 1. Various of piles of garbage; people walking; 2. Various of damaged vehicles; 3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Alashi, engineer, Gaza Municipality: "We were forced to create temporary landfills in the middle of the city in a place designated for the city's central market. It is a very big problem. We are asking all international institutions to help us to reach the border landfill sites because we have reached the maximum level of waste accumulation." 4. Various of displaced people, tents; 5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Samaher Al-Basyouni, Palestinian refugee: "The situation is catastrophic, especially since we are in winter. The garbage attracts rodents and dogs, and we cannot sleep at night because of the disturbance, and the children are scared. There is also concern about the spread of intestinal infections and skin diseases for which there is no treatment at all." 6. Various of rubbles of destroyed buildings; 7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammed Aboud, engineer, Palestinian Ministry of Public Works (partially overlaid with shot 8): "We face many challenges due to the lack of building materials for reconstruction and machinery to open streets and remove rubble. Also, the number of tents available is limited, and we need 200,000 mobile homes to build temporary shelters for people until the destroyed homes are rebuilt." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 8. Piles of garbage; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 9. Various of garbage being loaded into truck; 10. Various of destroyed buildings; people walking. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]