The Jabalia municipality in the northern Gaza Strip is on the verge of collapse following repeated Israeli assaults and an ongoing siege on the Palestinian enclave, local officials have warned.
Last month, Israeli forces bombed the municipality’s main garage and other critical infrastructure, compounding the earlier destruction of its headquarters during the initial stages of the war in 2023.
The garage – used for parking, supplying and repairing ambulances, refuse lorries, and other essential municipal vehicles – had already been partially destroyed in earlier strikes. Despite this, staff had continued operations with severely limited resources.
Following the most recent attack, however, “we are nearing total paralysis – a health and infrastructure catastrophe,” said Saadi al-Dabbour, director of public relations at Jabalia municipality, speaking to Middle East Eye.
Gaza’s municipalities are responsible for lifesaving services, including clean water distribution, wastewater drainage, solid waste disposal, market regulation, and road clearance – all of which are essential and cannot be suspended or delayed.
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Jabalia municipality serves a population of 240,000 people, including 110,000 crowded into just 18 square kilometres in what is considered one of the most densely populated refugee camps in the world.
According to al-Dabbour, one of the most severe crises is the acute lack of water, following the destruction of over 70 percent of water pipelines and wells in northern Gaza by Israeli bombing.
The situation is compounded by a critical shortage of fuel needed to operate the generators powering the few remaining wells.
According to the Gaza-based Government Media Office, the Israeli military has demolished 719 water wells in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
On 10 March, Israel halted the remaining electricity supply to Gaza, forcing the largest desalination plant in the territory to reduce its output.
Within days, the second-largest facility also ceased operations due to a lack of fuel, resulting from Israel’s total blockade of the region.
‘The destruction is overwhelming’
The latest strike, which took place on 22 April, wiped out more than 90 percent of the municipality’s operational capacity, according to Dabbour.
“It destroyed our only suction truck, nine out of ten bulldozers, a five-cubic-metre water tanker, and severely damaged other refuse lorries,” he told MEE.
The ten bulldozers had been brought into Gaza from Egypt during a brief ceasefire in January and were operated exclusively by Egyptian workers during that period.
‘We rely on a handful of animal carts to clear the streets… But even the animals are weakened by starvation’
– Saadi al-Dabbour, Jabalia municipality official
Nine were completely incinerated in the strike, while the tenth was badly damaged, with doubts over whether it can be repaired.
“Now, we rely on a handful of animal carts to clear the streets and move the rubbish and rubble,” Dabbour said.
“But even the animals are weakened by starvation, and the scale of destruction is overwhelming.”
He expressed concern that the targeted destruction of equipment provided by donors may discourage future support from both local and international partners.
“Before the war, a bulldozer in Gaza cost over $70,000 – now the price exceeds $100,000,” he said. “Even then, municipalities couldn’t afford them without help from residents through service fees or external donations.”
Referring to the municipality’s workforce, Dabbour added: “We are peaceful people with no political affiliations – our goal is simply to help the community. But Israel is committing collective punishment against us. They are stripping us of the means to rebuild, in clear violation of international law.
“We urge governments and global institutions to stand with Gaza’s municipalities before it’s too late.”
Fuel shortage
The Civil Defence search-and-rescue teams have also been affected by similar Israeli targeting.
A strike last week hit bulldozers in Gaza City and Khan Younis that were being used to search for survivors and recover the bodies of those long buried, so they could be given proper funerals.
The worsening fuel shortage is compounding the crisis for municipal services.
“Eight of our twelve fire rescue and ambulance vehicles in southern Gaza are out of service because we’ve run out of fuel,” said Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basel in a statement via his WhatsApp channel.
“We receive numerous emergency calls from people trapped in bombed buildings or injured in the streets, but with only four vehicles operating, it’s extremely difficult to reach them all,” he told MEE.
Gaza City Municipality spokesman Asem al-Nabih told MEE that Israeli forces have deliberately targeted roads, parks, public gardens, squares, water wells, and transmission lines in an effort to deprive Palestinians of access to water and other essential services.
“More than 75 percent of the municipality’s central water wells have been destroyed by Israeli attacks, and over 100,000 linear metres of water networks have been damaged,” he said.
“Due to the scale of destruction, barely half of Gaza’s residential areas currently receive water.”
Despite continued efforts by municipal workers to maintain the remaining water wells and prioritise water access, the situation remains unmanageable amid constant attacks and a lack of necessary equipment.
Al-Nabih added that Gaza Municipality has submitted a list of urgent needs – including heavy machinery, equipment, and generators – to various international bodies, pleading for immediate intervention.
“So far, nothing has been delivered to Gaza,” he said.
