'The sea is more blue': Gazans head to the beach after sewage cleanup

Internationally funded treatment plants have reduced sea pollution in Gaza to lowest level in yearsOn the beach in Sheikh Ijlin, a neighbourhood in the south of Gaza City, no one is paying attention to a nearby Islamic jihad military drill. Children run in and out of the Mediterranean waves, begging their parents for camel rides and candy floss, ignoring the thuds as rockets belonging to the Palestinian militant group hit the water.Thanks to a dedicated sewage cleanup effort, for the first time in years most of the Gaza Strip's coastline is clean enough to swim in; this summer, thousands of families are rediscovering the besieged territory's foremost recreational outlet. Continue reading...