UN News Service Fadi Jundiah talks about the daily fight against rodents in a camp in Gaza City. People in Gaza camps are at risk of disease due to poor sanitation and rat infestations. Humanitarian Aid
In overcrowded camps for internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip, thousands of families are forced to cope with infestations of rats and insects amid deteriorating sanitation and the collapse of public services.
Many residents of the enclave were forced to flee their homes repeatedly to escape fighting between Israel and Hamas. Much of the health care system has been destroyed, and living conditions continue to rapidly deteriorate: waste accumulates on the streets, sewage systems are practically ineffective.
Sanitary crisis
Residents of the camps report that rats are breaking into tents daily, spoiling food supplies and even attacking children at night. In overcrowded areas, concerns are growing about the spread of skin diseases and other infections.
In one camp in central Gaza City, Fadi Jundiah, who had previously fled one of the city’s eastern districts, said rodents had become part of everyday life.
© UNRWA The threat of the spread of dangerous diseases in Gaza is growing amid deteriorating living conditions.
“The rat problem has existed since the first day of this camp, but now they are spreading among the tents at a completely abnormal rate. Every time we get rid of one rat, ten more appear. There are more and more of them, and we have no solution,” he said.
Rats are chewing through plastic shelters and destroying food, he said. Homemade traps no longer help, and the poison is either not on the shelves or its price is too high for the displaced.
Jundia also noted that children live in constant fear, especially at night, when they have to go to the toilet outside.
Another resident of the camp, Mohammad Talal, said that his child died at night. bitten by rats.
“My child was attacked by rats, and thank God it didn’t end worse. At five in the morning I took him to the hospital, where he was treated for a wound on his face. We continue to suffer because of the rats, especially because there is no lighting here,” he said. shelters.
UN News Service UNRWA teams regularly disinfect and spray pesticides in camps and schools converted into shelters.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has announced the launch of a comprehensive rodent and insect control plan in collaboration with local municipalities across the Gaza Strip. The decision to expand efforts comes as the condition of hospitals, schools and emergency shelters deteriorates.
Mohammad Talal says the situation requires urgent action: “I stay up all night because of the rats and keep my phone on for light. If I have money, I charge my phone, if not, I have to sleep in the dark. Children are afraid to go to the toilet at night and ask someone to accompany them with a flashlight. If there is no light, I go with them with a stick in my hands. I don’t know what else to do.”