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UN PhotoGAZA / UNDP WASTE MANAGEMENT
STORY: GAZA / UNDP WASTE MANAGEMENT
TRT: 04:45
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 11 FEBRUARY 2026, GAZA CITY
1. Various shots, mountains of garbage piled on both sides of the road, accumulated over two years of war at the Firas Central Market site in the city
2. Various shots, trucks and bulldozers belonging to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) working to remove and transport waste to safe areas away from residential communities
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amjad Al-Shawa, Head of the NGO Network in the Gaza Strip:
“This day means so much to the Palestinian citizen living in the Gaza Strip. He fully understands the significance of removing this waste, which over the past period has caused many epidemics, diseases, insects, rodents, and animals. Even the visual scene itself associated with this— and beginning its removal — gives a glimmer of hope to the Palestinian citizen.”
4. Various shots, trucks and bulldozers belonging to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) working to remove and transport waste to safe areas away from residential communities
5. Various shots, Palestinian residents moving among piles of garbage in central Gaza City
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Anwar Helles, resident living next to the landfill:
“This landfill poses a danger to us. First, the odors and mosquitoes are increasing, and the stray dogs make us feel unsettled because of their constant barking. In addition, the smell of the garbage is unbearable. The scene, without answers or questions, is clear before you.”
7. Various shots, tons of waste piled up between residential homes in Gaza City
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmad Hajaj, resident living near the landfill in central Gaza City:
“Life is difficult. This scene is unfit for the life we are living, and it is an uncivilized scene for human beings. We face many diseases, and there are insects affecting children. Every health hazard we suffer from is because of this landfill. We hope the waste will be removed and that Gaza will return to how it once was.”
9. Various shots, trucks and bulldozers belonging to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) working to remove and transport waste to safe areas away from residential communities
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with local civil society organizations, has begun removing the accumulated piles of waste in the Firas Market area in central Gaza City, the largest waste aggregation site in the Strip since the outbreak of the war. Residents hope the move will help mitigate escalating health and environmental risks.
Approximately 370,000 metric tons of waste accumulated at the site over two years of war, turning the area into a polluted hotspot amid the widespread collapse of basic services, including garbage collection and sewage systems. Mountains of trash line both sides of the roads in the heart of the city, while residents move between the piled-up heaps in a scene reflecting the scale of the environmental crisis facing Gaza.
Trucks and bulldozers operated by UNDP are lifting and transporting the waste to sites away from residential areas in an effort to contain growing public health risks.
Amjad Al-Shawa, Head of the NGO Network in the Gaza Strip, said that the start of waste removal “means so much to the Palestinian citizen living in the Gaza Strip,” adding that its accumulation over the past period had caused “many epidemics, diseases, insects, rodents, and animals,” and that beginning its removal “gives a glimmer of hope to the Palestinian citizen.”
The Strip is facing a worsening environmental crisis due to the destruction of infrastructure and the disruption of public sanitation services, leading to the widespread proliferation of flies, mosquitoes, and rodents — key disease vectors — at a time when the relevant authorities suffer from a severe shortage of effective pest-control materials and must rely on limited-impact alternatives.
Anwar Helles, a resident living near the landfill, said the site “poses a danger” to residents, pointing to the increasing foul odors, the spread of mosquitoes, and the presence of stray dogs, all of which heighten the community’s sense of instability. He added that the current scene is “clear” for everyone to see in terms of the scale of daily suffering.
For his part, Ahmad Hajaj, another resident living near the landfill, described life near the garbage heaps as “difficult” and “unfit,” saying that insects and diseases particularly affect children, and that residents hope for the landfill to be removed and for conditions to return to what they were before the war.
According to the Palestinian Information Center, before the war, Gaza produced roughly 2,000 tons of solid waste daily, according to pre-war data from the Water and Environmental Quality Authority. Organic waste accounted for 65 percent of the total, followed by plastic (16.1 percent), paper (8.1 percent), metals (three percent), and other materials including sand, construction debris, and agricultural waste.
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