A displaced Palestinian boy stands on the ruins of destroyed buildings in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, on November 29, 2025. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
Gaza: Municipalities in the Gaza Strip have warned of an imminent collapse of essential services due to the rapidly deteriorating fuel crisis, following the Israeli occupation's prevention of the entry of the necessary quantities to operate vital facilities in the Strip.
In a statement issued Sunday, the Union of Gaza Strip Municipalities explained that the fuel that has arrived in the fifty days since the ceasefire is only sufficient for five days of work, including clearing roads, removing rubble, and facilitating the movement of displaced persons.
The Union emphasized that the very limited quantities allowed through by the occupation are under the control and management of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which has become unable to respond and provide the minimum fuel needs of the municipalities to ensure their continued operation.
The statement indicated that the ongoing crisis threatens residents' lives, especially as efforts to rescue displaced people have been disrupted, along with attempts to address the impact of winter storms, remove rubble, and reopen roads. It noted that 85% of municipal buildings, facilities, and vehicles have been targeted or destroyed, further weakening their ability to function.
The municipalities demanded the urgent provision of fuel according to established procedures to ensure the continuation of essential services.
Last week, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, warned of the seriousness of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, noting that families there are living on the edge of catastrophe, adding that experts are cautioning against a disastrous winter in the Strip, in light of the absence of the minimum requirements for life.
