Israeli officials warn of an ecological disaster in southern Israel as sewage from the Gaza Strip flowed across the border.
The officials allege today’s outflow was a deliberate act by Palestinians in the Hamas-ruled Strip.
“In recent days, Palestinians in the Strip threatened that if there was not fuel for sewage generators in the Strip they will close, and all the flow will go to Israel. Apparently they went through with the threat,” one official says, according to the Ynet news site.
Residents of southern Israel near the northern part of Gaza report a strong odor of sewage.
Israeli officials fear that if sewage facilities in Gaza do not resume operations, the situation will deteriorate further, and thousands more cubic meters of sewage will flood the area.
The treatment plant that ceased operating handles sewage from the Gaza communities of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. After it stopped operations, the sewage was redirected to the Hanoun riverbed, which crosses the border and connects to the Shikma River in southern Israel.
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Saturday, August 22, 2020
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