Scavengers obstruct trash disposal at Gaza landfill
Waste collectors and garbage truck drivers suspended their work for a few days at the Juhr al-Dik landfill, southeast of Gaza City, claiming that scavengers on-site have been obstructing their operations.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Waste collectors and garbage truck drivers at the Juhr al-Dik landfill, southeast of Gaza City, resumed Feb. 5 their work despite the large number of scavengers on-site.
The Gaza municipality had announced Feb. 1 that the spread of scavengers at the landfill forced the workers to suspend their work for a few days, refraining from collecting trash in the streets.
On Jan. 22, government medical sources announced having received the body of a 14-year-old boy, later identified as Osama Sarsak, who was found at the Juhr al-Dik landfill. According to a forensic report, Sarsak died of suffocation.
Fingers of blame were pointed at the garbage truck drivers. According to the victim’s father, his son was helping him in collecting scrap metal at the landfill when he went missing. After hours of searching, the teenager was found dead inside the landfill.
