Piles of waste and sewage pile up around refugee camps in central Gaza as Israel continues to bomb the territory, according to the UN Organization for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).
UNRWA spokesperson Louise Wateridge said Wednesday that Israeli officials have refused the refugee organization access to garbage disposal locations, while many sewage treatment facilities and waste disposal vehicles have been destroyed.
“Rising temperatures exacerbate the situation, causing not only terrible odors but also the spread of diseases. Rodents, rodents, and mosquitoes thrive in these conditions, spreading disease,” she said.
To make matters worse, vital drugs for common skin and gastrointestinal conditions are in short supply. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 70% of medicines were missing, with specialty therapies practically exhausted.
Worse, displaced Palestinians face a lack of cleaning materials and personal hygiene goods, as water scarcity exacerbates the issue.
Israel has faced international outrage for defying a UN Security Council resolution requiring a quick ceasefire in its ongoing violent offensive on Gaza after an October 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.
According to local health officials, about 38,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of them are women and children, with a further 87,300 injured.
Over eight months into the Israeli war, massive swaths of Gaza are in ruins, with a severe siege of food, clean water, and medication.
Israel is accused of “plausible genocide” by the International Court of Justice, which just ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought safety from the fighting before it was attacked on May 6.
