GAZA - This summer, access to the cooling waters of the Mediterranean is gradually being closed off to Gaza's 1.8 million residents, due to pollution stemming from fuel shortages that have halted work at sewage treatment facilities.
Baha al-Agha of the Gaza Environment Quality Authority said about 100,000 cubic metres of untreated waste water are being pumped into the Gaza shore daily.
"Swimming is prohibited" signs have gone up at several beaches. But at one of Gaza's most popular beaches, dozens of people, including children, splashed in the water over the weekend despite the posted warning.
"Things are getting worse day by day in the absence of real solutions," Agha stated. He called on the Palestinian unity government formed earlier this month to act immediately "before Gaza beaches are declared a disaster zone".