Gaza municipalities suspend services amid coronavirus crisis

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Gaza-based Hemaya Center for Human Rights warned May 4 of the repercussions of the municipalities’ decision to reduce their basic services to citizens in the Gaza Strip in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

In a letter addressed to both the UNHCR and the UN envoy to the Middle East, the center shed light on the seriousness of the situation in Gaza.

It called for immediate action to support and enable Gazan municipalities to provide public services and take the necessary measures to confront the coronavirus pandemic. The center also called for pressuring the Israeli authorities into assuming their responsibilities toward the residents of the occupied territories by providing a healthy and clean environment and working to fight the pandemic.

To avoid collapsing, the municipalities in Gaza had announced April 28 that they would gradually cut down on basic services they provide to citizens, such as road maintenance and organization of public markets, and that other services would continue only for as long as possible but that this would depend on the available capabilities. They called on local and international institutions to support the basic municipal needs, especially in terms of fuel and supplies needed to fight the virus that causes COVID-19. They stressed that the continuation of this crisis and the gradual reduction of services will have major repercussions on public health and environmental safety.