The environmental situation in the Gaza Strip is reaching a catastrophic level, with high risks of epidemics, the mayor of Khan Yunis city, located in the southern part of this Palestinian enclave, has said, Al Jazeera reports.

“We are facing a real disaster that will lead to the spread of diseases and epidemics,” the official emphasized.

According to him, the scale of destruction in the area as a result of military operations is enormous, and this makes it difficult to access garbage and waste accumulation sites and makes their timely removal impossible.

The situation is further aggravated by the fact that as a result of the bombings, 90 percent of the area’s vegetation cover has been destroyed.