City authorities warned, “We are facing an environmental disaster due to the leakage of sewage mixing with groundwater.”

They noted that there is also a risk of seawater contamination, which mixes with the territory’s aquifers.

The British NGO Oxfam recently affirmed that the waterborne disease rate in the coastal enclave has experienced an alarming rise, which could turn into a deadly disaster.

It revealed that statistics for waterborne diseases, such as acute jaundice and watery and bloody diarrhea, have increased by more than 100 percent.

It noted that those diseases can quickly become fatal due to hunger and a shortage of access to drinking water, housing, and medical care.

The Gaza Municipality reported this week that the city is suffering from a severe shortage of drinking water, exceeding 80 percent of its daily needs, due to the destruction caused by the two-year Israeli attacks.

iff/mem/rob