A vehicle shortfall is constraining waste collection in Gaza, where United Nations (U.N.) spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that partners had only half their vehicles in operation.
Dujarric attributed the bottleneck to Israeli restrictions on engine oil and spare parts needed to maintain the vehicles. He said trash was going uncollected, raising public-health risks.
He urged wider access for essential goods, fewer administrative hurdles and additional crossings for deliveries. He also said humanitarian funding was needed as residents faced a fourth winter in displacement.
The warning follows an Oct. 29 U.N. appeal to ease aid restrictions, after humanitarian colleagues said debris from a nearby Israeli airstrike damaged a U.N. warehouse in Khan Younis.
