Gaza Herald – The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that health risks in the Gaza Strip are expected to worsen as winter and the rainy season approach, with most Palestinians living in harsh conditions amid a severely strained healthcare system.
Reinheld van De Weerd, the WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, said water quality and contamination remain among Gaza’s most serious public-health threats, while residents continue to lack even the minimum amount of water needed for daily life.
WHO data showed that microbiological contamination in Gaza’s water supplies nearly tripled between January and August. After analyzing more than 6,700 water samples, the organization found that the share of contaminated samples rose from less than 6% in January to more than 18% in August.
The deterioration in water quality has coincided with a sharp rise in acute diarrhea cases. According to WHO figures, reported cases increased from around 27,000 in March to more than 48,000 in August, underscoring the growing risks facing Palestinians living amid destroyed infrastructure and inadequate sanitation.
Van De Weerd warned that the approaching winter and rainy season could further intensify the crisis. Much of Gaza’s population remains crowded into makeshift camps and temporary tents, while mountains of accumulated garbage in some areas have reached several meters in height.
Heavy rainfall could flood displacement camps and carry sewage, garbage and contaminated water into areas where Palestinians sleep, prepare food and care for children. Such conditions could significantly increase the risk of waterborne diseases spreading among already vulnerable communities.
The WHO representative also warned that colder and wetter conditions could accelerate the spread of pests, mosquitoes, mold and bacteria. At the same time, Gaza’s exhausted healthcare system has limited capacity to respond to potential disease outbreaks.
The WHO called for more permanent shelters, reliable and sustainable access to sufficient quantities of safe water, stronger waste-management systems, and the laboratory capacity needed to quickly identify and respond to disease outbreaks.
The organization also warned that essential laboratory and diagnostic supplies remain barred from entering Gaza, including critical reagents needed to conduct medical tests and determine the causes of illness.
The approaching winter threatens to deepen an already devastating humanitarian crisis. In the Gaza Strip. With widespread displacement, damaged water and sanitation systems, mounting waste and an overwhelmed health sector, even seasonal rainfall could turn unsafe living conditions into a major public-health emergency.
