Raw sewage pours into Gaza's waters

In Gaza City, many look to the sea for respite from the summer heat, but recently beachgoers have been mostly staying on the sand to avoid contact with the murky, polluted water as raw sewage has been pouring into the ocean.

The sandy coast is one of the only outlets for recreation in Gaza, a narrow strip of territory where more than 2 million Palestinians have lived under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

Both the blockade and mismanagement by Palestinian authorities have taken a heavy toll on Gaza's infrastructure, causing sewage to leak into the sea and spread along the coast.

There has also been no fuel for Gaza's sole power plant since the heavy fighting erupted on May 10, exacerbating a longstanding electricity crisis and further eroding sewage management capabilities.

Residents of Gaza City have been keen to return to beaches after being confined to their homes for nearly two weeks during the latest conflict between Israel and the territory's militant Hamas rulers, but now the pollution has prevented respite.

"There is no outlet but this sea, there is no travel, no Erez or anything else, and people cannot go out. There is nothing except the sea, and now it is polluted," said Gaza resident Um Dergham Al-Deeb, while they were sitting on the beach with family.

The municipal authority has warned people not to swim in the sea, claiming that sewage networks had been badly damaged by Israeli airstrikes.

An informal cease-fire came into effect on May 21, halting 11 days of fighting in which Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes and Palestinian militants fired more than 4,000 rockets.

More than 250 people were killed during the conflict, the vast majority Palestinians.