The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing in the Gaza Strip, Naji Sarhan, said that the Israeli war of extermination - and the ethnic cleansing that accompanied it - destroyed 80% of the northern Gaza Strip governorate.

Sarhan added - in a statement to Anadolu Agency - that areas such as Jabalia camp, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia were subjected to comprehensive Israeli destruction, in addition to the eastern and western parts of Jabalia city, where the Israeli occupation destroyed 80% of northern Gaza.

He explained that the comprehensive Israeli destruction affected everything, from homes, streets and infrastructure, which made the northern Gaza Strip a lifeless area.

He pointed out that there are currently more than 300,000 homeless Palestinians, "and the major disaster is that we expect the return of the displaced people of Gaza City and the north from the center and south of the Strip during the coming week (under the ceasefire agreement), which increases the humanitarian burdens."

Sarhan confirmed that every open area has actually been transformed into a camp to shelter the displaced, in light of the great and massive destruction in the northern Gaza Strip.

He considered that the biggest challenge now is to provide tents and their supplies, such as solar energy, generators and fuel to operate them, in addition to blankets, mattresses and basic relief materials.

In light of this tragic reality, the Palestinian official called on international and regional institutions to take urgent action to meet the needs of the displaced, because the reconstruction of the northern Gaza Strip will require tremendous efforts and international support.

Despite the Israeli genocide and lack of capabilities, Sarhan said: We are determined to rebuild northern Gaza to become better than it was, as this is a collective responsibility that requires the world to stand with us.

North Gaza is afflicted

In the same context, the Coordinating Committee of Municipalities of North Gaza announced, in a statement read by the Mayor of Beit Hanoun, Imad Badwan, during a press conference in Jabalia yesterday, Tuesday, that the North Gaza Governorate is a disaster area.

Badwan added that Jabalia camp and Beit Hanoun city were completely destroyed by Israel, along with large parts of Jabalia and Beit Lahia.

What happened was considered an unprecedented Israeli genocide, as roads, water and sewage networks, electricity and communications lines, and water wells were destroyed, in addition to targeting hospitals, schools, and facilities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) that were used as shelters.

Badwan explained that the Israeli aggression on northern Gaza for about 100 days has resulted in the killing and disappearance of more than 5,000 people, and the injury of about 13,000 others, while the number of displaced people has exceeded 200,000 people.

He added that Israel's destruction of the infrastructure makes the return of displaced Palestinians extremely difficult, and is pushing towards an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

He called on UNRWA, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to provide relief to the displaced, provide necessary assistance in the form of shelter, food and clothing, in addition to establishing camps to receive them.

Badwan stressed the need to support municipalities and provide fuel to operate their facilities, repair water and sewage networks, open roads and remove rubble, and provide them with spare parts and supplies to operate water wells and sewage facilities.

The Palestinian official stressed the need to pay the salaries of municipal employees who have not received their salaries since the beginning of the Israeli genocide, to facilitate work and mitigate the effects of the disaster.

He stressed that the municipalities, despite the massive destruction, will continue to work with all their might in cooperation with international and local institutions, to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians, until the stage of recovery and restoration of normal life is reached.

Last Sunday morning, the ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) went into effect. Its first phase will last for 42 days, during which a second and third phase will be negotiated, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.

With American support, Israel committed a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip between October 7, 2023 and January 19, 2023, leaving more than 157,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.