GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Gaza City municipal teams worked for 24 hours to stem the flow of sewage flooding homes in the city's eastern sector, a press statement said.

Faulty sewage lines burst and poured into homes on Friday, sparking the rescue mission, it said.

Workers face difficulties upgrading the sewage network because materials and machines necessary for the work are blocked by Israel's siege on the Gaza Strip, it added, calling on assistance from human rights organizations to help end the closure.

Israel tightened restrictions on movement of people and goods in and out of the coastal strip in 2007 when Hamas took control of the enclave after winning democratic elections a year earlier.

Construction materials can only enter Gaza via Israeli-controlled crossings for approved projects funded by international organizations and UN agencies.