Rat infestations and water shortages: Gaza displacement camp conditions worsening, according to UN
Conditions in Gaza’s displacement camps are worsening, despite a shaky ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, according to the United Nations and camp residents.
Thousands of families are facing rodent and insect infestations as waste continues to mount in displacement camps. Nasser Hospital’s head of dermatology, Dr Asaad Sadiq, says conditions in the camps have “created a thriving environment for the reproduction” of rodents, which in turn has led to “direct contact with humans” due to a lack of protection against the animals.
“This has led to various problems, including [rodents] directly biting humans, or children, on skin and this led to recurrent skin infections,” he said.
People in the displacement camps are also facing water shortages, according to residents and aid workers.
Water truck driver Iyad Tabasha says he and his colleagues used to “transport 10 trucks of drinking water every day” to displaced residents in Khan Younis, but now they’re only able to manage “two to three trucks per week”.
“Things have completely changed over the past seven months. We previously operated with more than 30 trucks through charities and organisations, but the reality today is entirely different. The maximum a water truck driver can deliver now is around 30 truckloads per month, and that is considered good under current conditions,” Tabasha said.
With water infrastructure still destroyed in Gaza and water transport limited by fuel and funding, access to water remains challenging, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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