At around 2:00 pm on Monday, 26 October 2016, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights (Al Mezan) organized an open meeting at the home of Mohammed Jamil Al Harazeen on al Sekka Street in Al Sheja’iya neighborhood, eastern Gaza City. The Street is dilapidated and residents complain that it poses a danger. Around 20 residents of Al Sekka Street attended the meeting that focused on finding solutions. In the end, the group called for the restoration of Al Sekka Street. 

Al Mezan's field worker for the area received several phone calls from the residents of the street, complaining about its poor condition and citing it as a threat to the lives of residents. Al Mezan responded by organizing the meeting.

Mohannd Abdel Bari, fieldworker at Al Mezan, opened the meeting with an overview about Al Mezan and our work with communities like this. He then discussed with the residents the challenges that they face due to the delay in reconstructing the 350-meter-long street that connects the neighborhoods of Al Sheja’iya and Al Zaiytoon. Some of the reported problems include dust and water outpour during winter which makes the street muddy and difficult to walk on. Some homes in the west of Al Sekka Street also flood from the rain. The water lines are also old and frequently break and there are no street lights, thus residents moving in the street at late hours are scared. They note that the cost of transport has increased in the area as taxi drivers refuse to drive along the street. 

The residents said that they had appealed to the concerned authorities, including the Gaza Municipality, to help rebuild the street, but no actions had been taken. The residents thanked Al Mezan for its concern and interest in their appeal. Meanwhile, Al Mezan’s field worker stressed the legitimacy of their demands and the importance in solving the problem in order to improve the standard of living of the population and prevent harm. The field worker pledged to contact officials and concerned authorities, with Gaza Municipality at the top of the list, to support their demands.