Netanyahu Agrees to Sanitation Group as Gaza Waste Spreads

Untreated sewage and contaminated rubble from the conflict in Gaza have spread into Israeli territory, creating shared public health and environmental risks. Approximately 100,000 cubic metres of raw sewage flow daily into the Mediterranean Sea or onto land because of destroyed infrastructure. Northward currents have carried this waste into Israeli waters, forcing the Ashkelon desalination plant to shut down multiple times due to toxic algae and faecal bacteria.

Benjamin Netanyahu and the Board of Peace recently agreed to establish a working group on sanitation and public health to address these threats, though the specific structure of the group has not been disclosed. This agreement follows warnings from EcoPeace that the shared environment creates a state of total interdependence between Gaza and Israel.

Simultaneously, the Cabinet of Israel has begun transporting an estimated 60 million tonnes of rubble from Gaza into undisclosed locations within Israel and the West Bank. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor reported seeing approximately 100 Israeli trucks daily moving this debris, which contains biological matter, asbestos, and heavy metals.