Israel using Gaza as dumping ground for settlement construction waste: Report

The Israeli army has reportedly been dumping large quantities of waste, rubble, and construction debris from settlements outside the Gaza Strip into the besieged Palestinian territory. 

Israeli trucks belonging to a private company have been entering the Palestinian territory loaded with construction waste and debris, daily newspaper Haaretz reported on Sunday.

The vehicles enter through the Israeli-controlled Kisufim crossing in central Gaza and drive 200-300 meters, where they “unload their cargo along roadsides rather than at designated disposal sites,” it said.

“Field commanders have issued instructions allowing trucks belonging to private companies to enter the Gaza Strip and dump their loads wherever they see fit,” the daily quoted security officers as saying.

The Israeli army denied knowledge of the matter with no official comment from the military.

Nearly one million of Gaza’s 1.1 million olive trees have been destroyed by Israel

Nearly one million of the Gaza Strip’s 1.1 million olive trees have been destroyed by Israel, according to a report.

Two years of Israel’s genocidal war destroyed about 90% of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, amounting to roughly 70 million tonnes of debris.

On Thursday, the Gaza Government Media Office declared the enclave an “environmental and structural disaster zone”.

According to the UN, Gaza is buried under more than 61 million tonnes of debris. The clean-up is expected to take decades to complete.

With three-quarters of destroyed buildings, reconstruction of Gaza is estimated to cost around $70 billion.

A ceasefire deal took effect on October 10 in the Gaza Strip, based on a phased plan presented by US President Donald Trump. The first phase included the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas 80 times since the truce took hold.

Israel killed over 68,519 people and injured more than 170,382 others in Gaza since October 2023, according to the Health Ministry.

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