Gaza Herald – Gaza’s humanitarian and health crisis is rapidly worsening as rats and parasites spread through displacement camps across the Strip, amid Israel’s continued blockade and restrictions on the entry of medical supplies and pesticides. The deteriorating conditions are exposing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, especially children, to growing risks of disease and epidemics inside overcrowded tents lacking even the most basic necessities for survival.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned on Thursday that rats have begun biting children. At the same time, they sleep inside tents, describing the situation as another sign of Gaza’s deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
In a statement published on X, the agency said displaced families in Gaza face increasing threats from disease due to forced displacement, severe overcrowding, lack of clean water, and the collapse of environmental health systems and essential public services.
UNRWA added that it is closely monitoring, alongside the World Health Organization and local partners, the sharp rise in skin infections and the growing danger of diseases linked to rats, fleas, lice, and other parasites spreading throughout shelters and displacement camps.
The agency stressed the urgent need to allow the entry of more tents, pesticides, medicines, and sanitation supplies into the besieged territory, warning that the healthcare system is struggling to contain the outbreak.
Earlier this week, UNRWA reported thousands of cases of illnesses associated with rodents and parasites, while medical facilities continue suffering from severe shortages of medicines and treatment supplies due to ongoing Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid.
According to the agency, its medical teams can currently respond to only about 40% of documented cases, even though many of these conditions could normally be treated with basic medication under ordinary circumstances.
The World Health Organization also warned last month that more than 17,000 cases linked to rodents and external parasites had been recorded in Gaza since the beginning of the year, describing living conditions inside the Strip as “desperate and dangerous.”
Health officials say overcrowded shelters, collapsing sanitation infrastructure, and the lack of clean drinking water are accelerating the spread of infections among displaced families, particularly children.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain trapped inside makeshift tents and temporary shelters after their homes and neighborhoods were destroyed during Israel’s ongoing genocide on Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s attack on Gaza has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 172,000 others, the majority of them women and children, according to health authorities in the Strip.
Although a ceasefire agreement has officially been in place since October 10, 2025, Gaza continues to face daily bombardment, siege conditions, and severe restrictions on food, medicine, shelter materials, and humanitarian aid entering the territory.
