Mountains of garbage near settlements and major thoroughfares across the Gaza Strip have created a harsh living environment filled with stench, sewage, and flies, threatening the health of residents in the war-torn enclave. The fighting between Israel and Hamas has temporarily ceased with the implementation of a truce agreement last month. Yet, the difficult-to-handle rubbish has posed another crisis in Gaza. Approximately 250,000 tons of garbage remains piled up near residential areas in Gaza City, as Israeli forces have blocked municipal workers from accessing the main landfill, and much of the waste collection equipment has been destroyed in the conflict. Before the latest round of the conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, Gaza City's waste was mostly dumped at the main landfill east of the city. After the hostilities began, the municipal services struggled to operate, forcing all kinds of waste to temporarily pile up within the city. Large numbers of displaced persons, with nowhere else to go, have had to set up tents as makeshift shelters on vacant land right next to the landfill. "This garbage dump gives off a stench and is covered by flies day and night. Children suffer terribly. Skin diseases and diarrhea have long been common. We stay here only because we have nowhere else to go. We're forced to settle down here," said Eid Al-Rahim Abu Ghneima, a local resident. The piles of rubbish have bred numerous pests and rodents, and also led to the spread of diseases and epidemics, becoming a "time bomb" for the fragile health system in the densely populated Gaza Strip. "We could only apply kerosene to our faces at night to drive away mosquitoes. We even asked our neighbors for some, but no such luck. The children often had diarrhea as a result. The medicine we were prescribed from the health center had little effect. After a brief improvement, the condition would always recur a couple of days later," said Youssef Sobh, another resident. The spokesperson for Gaza Municipality, Husni Muhanna, told China Central Television that the problem of garbage disposal will persist for some time even after the conflict ends completely, given that approximately 250,000 tons of garbage have accumulated in the city while about 85 percent of waste removal vehicles and equipment have been destroyed. "During the 'early recovery' phase of municipal services, the municipal government will prioritize the handling of small-scale temporary garbage sites in the city center. However, the two major garbage sites in the city will continue to exist, as the main landfill east of Gaza City can only resume operation after the war is completely over," he said. The video shows: Gaza City, Gaza Strip - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of landfill site, traffic, pedestrians, destroyed buildings 2. Rubbish 3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Eid Al-Rahim Abu Ghneima, local resident (ending with shots 4-5): "This garbage dump gives off a stench and is covered by flies day and night. Children suffer terribly. Skin diseases and diarrhea have long been common. We stay here only because we have nowhere else to go. We're forced to settle down here." 4. Waste, flies 5. Various of waste, residents, tents 6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Youssef Sobh, local resident (partially overlaid with shot 7): "We could only apply kerosene to our faces at night to drive away mosquitoes. We even asked our neighbors for some, but no such luck. The children often had diarrhea as a result. The medicine we were prescribed from the health center had little effect. After a brief improvement, the condition would always recur a couple of days later." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 7. Various of tents next to landfill site, residents ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 8. Various of landfill site, traffic, pedestrians, tents 9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Husni Muhanna, spokesperson, Gaza Municipality: "During the 'early recovery' phase of municipal services, the municipal government will prioritize the handling of small-scale temporary garbage sites in the city center. However, the two major garbage sites in the city will continue to exist, as the main landfill east of Gaza City can only resume operation after the war is completely over." 10. Various of landfill site, resident looking through garbage [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]