In Gaza City, dozens of volunteers braved heavy rain on November 16 to start a clean‑up drive that hopes to clear the debris left by the two‑year conflict with Israel. The effort is part of a wide‑scale volunteer campaign aimed at rebuilding the city’s streets, planting trees and restoring a sense of normal life for residents.
The campaign is run by Gaza Municipality in partnership with the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture and the Palestinian NGO Network. “We want to show the world that Gaza can rebuild and that the people here will remain on their land,” said Mayor Yahya al‑Sarraj as he joined the workers. He added that seeing young people, men, children and the elderly all working together sends a powerful message that Gaza can thrive again.
Hosny Muhanna, the municipality’s public‑relations officer, explained the plan to clear waste, remove rubble and bring beauty back to streets that have been damaged by war. “This is just the first step,” said Amjad al‑Shawa, head of the NGO Network. “The goal is to eliminate the 60 million tons of rubble covering the Gaza Strip and rebuild Gaza City better than before.”
The city’s Chamber of Commerce president, Ayed Abu Ramadan, highlighted that although Gaza has suffered heavy destruction over the past two years, its people still have the resilience to rise from the rubble. Volunteers like 30‑year‑old Ibrahim Hassan said they joined because they believe the city’s recovery must come from its own citizens. He said, “Life will return to Gaza, even if it takes generations of young people to rebuild.”
Volunteer Hanan Obeid, who protected her face with a mask while clearing piles of garbage, expressed pride in the effort. “It’s everyone’s duty to help restore life to Gaza as quickly as possible,” she said.
But the city faces a serious environmental and health crisis. Alaa al‑Batta, deputy head of the Union of Municipalities in the Gaza Strip, warned that 700,000 tons of waste are piling up in makeshift dumps that municipalities cannot manage because of limited fuel and equipment. The cleanup campaign is a crucial first step toward addressing that crisis and restoring a livable environment for all residents of the Gaza Strip.
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