Skin diseases spread in Gaza tent camps as sanitation crisis worsens

As Israel’s war against Hamas continues in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis among Palestinians is growing more dire. Not only are many Palestinians facing a food shortage, but on Tuesday, July 30, doctors reported that skin diseases are rampant in Gaza’s tent camps, mostly among children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that more than 103,000 cases of lice and scabies, and 65,000 cases of skin rashes have been reported as unsanitary conditions become more pervasive in the region.

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Those who live in the camps said that cleanliness is “impossible” and that there is “no shampoo, no soap” or access to clean water.

Basic necessities like soaps and medicines are reportedly slow to trickle into Gaza. The United Nations said that ongoing Israeli military operations and the looting of trucks make it too dangerous to bring relief to the area.

Meanwhile, the U.N. said that the “solid waste management system has collapsed,” with Gaza’s two pre-war landfills unreachable due to military operations. The U.N. set up 10 temporary landfill sites but that there are around 140 makeshift dump sites that are just giant piles of human waste and garbage, with some right next to Palestinians living in tents.

One doctor at a hospital in Gaza said that treatments for skin diseases are scarce. He added that in many cases, bacteria and fungus have already reached the patient’s bloodstream, making a simple case potentially deadly.

In addition to concerns about skin diseases, WHO data shows that there have been nearly 1 million cases of acute respiratory infections since the start of the war.

Furthermore, health officials are warning of Polio potentially spreading after remnants of the virus were found in sewage in Gaza.