Reuters reports that more than 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are living in temporary shelters, where conditions are ripe for the spread of disease. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, and lack of proper drinking water contribute to mounting problems. “The crowding of civilians and the fact that most schools used as shelters are housing lots of people, it’s a prime breeding ground for disease to spread,” said Nahed Abu Taaema, a public health doctor at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. He reported that people are starting to suffer from stomach complaints, lung infections and rashes. Of note, these are problems for the lucky ones, not yet part of the 23,000 or so Palestinians, injured or killed over the last 17 days of bombings.
A woman staying at a UN shelter, Sojood Najm, explained: “It’s hot in the tent under the midday sun and there are insects and flies.... At night it’s cold and there aren’t enough blankets for everyone. The children are all sick.” She and her husband fled their home in Gaza City with their three children and, for the past nine days, they’ve lived in a tent, unable to bathe. “Every day I cry to my mother,” said Najm.
Reuters states: “Aid agencies have repeatedly warned of a health crisis in the tiny, crowded Palestinian enclave under an Israeli blockade that has cut off electricity, clean water and fuel, with only small UN convoys of food and medicine getting in. With all hospitals running out of fuel to power their generators, doctors have warned that critical equipment, like incubators for newborns, risks stopping.
