Gaza, October 17 (QNA) - Mayor of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Eng. Alaa Al Din Al Batta stated that the city has suffered extensive destruction across service sectors, infrastructure, homes, and roads due to the Israeli aggression on the Strip.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Batta said the damage in Khan Younis exceeds 85 percent, leading to a near-total collapse of humanitarian services.

He noted that around 400,000 tons of rubble cover the main streets, with hundreds of thousands more within residential neighborhoods, resulting from the destruction of housing, economic projects, and road bulldozing during intense bombardment and ground incursions.

He added that the municipality has deployed field teams to reopen roads but faces major challenges due to a lack of heavy machinery needed to clear the vast debris.

Al Batta stated that the occupation forces destroyed over 206,000 linear meters of the city's road network, 82 percent of the total, and 296,000 meters of the water network, or 86 percent, causing a complete service halt and worsening the water crisis.

He pointed out that 36 water wells are entirely out of service, with only a few functioning partially. Three central water tanks were also destroyed and rendered inoperative.

Sewage systems were heavily affected, with 130,000 meters damaged (68 percent), including the destruction of two central stations near the European Hospital and partial damage to three others.

Rainwater infrastructure also suffered, with 13,000 meters damaged (62 percent), and 1,900 out of 2,100 stormwater drains destroyed.

The mayor warned of a severe environmental disaster following the collapse of the waste collection system due to damage to the central landfill east of Khan Younis.

He said 90 percent of waste containers are out of service, and 11 vehicles have stopped working, forcing the municipality to establish temporary landfills in populated western areas, where around 350,000 tons of waste have accumulated near shelters and displaced homes.

Al Batta confirmed that occupation forces deliberately destroyed green spaces and public squares, rendering them unusable.

He cited the complete destruction of 136 parks, gardens, and public squares, along with 66 municipal facilities and 200,000 meters of street lighting networks, resulting in total blackout.

He appealed to the international community and humanitarian organizations to provide municipalities in Gaza with essential equipment, especially in water, sanitation, and public hygiene sectors.

He called for urgent intervention to compel the occupation to allow the entry of bulldozers, heavy machinery, and trucks to remove rubble, reopen roads, and supply fuel for vital services.

The Government Media Office in Gaza stated that the Strip is facing the largest structural and humanitarian disaster in modern history, with over 70 million tons of debris caused by the destruction of thousands of homes, facilities, and vital infrastructure, turning Gaza into an environmentally and structurally devastated zone and hindering humanitarian aid and relief efforts.

Municipal and service sectors in Gaza have suffered widespread destruction over two years of Israeli aggression, which targeted municipal buildings and facilities directly, resulting in the deaths of four mayors and the destruction of service vehicles and equipment, along with severe damage to water, electricity, energy, and sewage networks.

The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli entity, reached in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, came into effect last Friday following approval by the occupation government, the withdrawal of its forces from populated areas in the Strip, the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza, and the implementation of a prisoner exchange as part of the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's initiative to end the war. (QNA)