Displacement areas in the Gaza Strip are facing a worsening environmental and health crisis with the widespread proliferation of insects and rodents, which have begun to attack citizens' tents unprecedentedly. This phenomenon coincides with the accumulation of thousands of tons of solid waste that the Israeli occupation has prevented from being transported to main landfills since the aggression began, turning shelters into pollution hotspots.
Local sources reported that many citizens, especially children and the elderly, have suffered from rodent bites and harmful insect stings in temporary displacement areas. Displaced persons confirmed that the danger of these creatures has significantly increased with the receding cold waves and the beginning of rising temperatures, which has driven rodents out of their burrows to search for food inside the tents.
In the coastal area extending between Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis, displaced persons recount tragic stories of rodents sharing their dilapidated tents. One displaced person from the northern Gaza Strip says that they previously faced crises of hunger and thirst, but today they face a new danger in the invasion of mice and rats, against which traditional preventive measures are no longer effective.
Residents fear the spread of deadly diseases such as 'plague' due to direct contact with these rodents, which reach their belongings and limited food. Many families have been forced to dispose of scarce food quantities after confirming that rodents had reached them, exacerbating the suffering of food insecurity in the camps.
In the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Yunis, fears are growing with the approach of summer that venomous snakes will emerge from their sandy burrows due to the intense heat. Citizens indicate that last year saw several cases of deadly snakes appearing among the tents, which causes double terror for families living in open and unprotected areas.
Displaced persons spoke of being forced to frequent hospitals and medical clinics to obtain treatments for their children who suffered rodent bites that caused severe inflammation. They confirm that their homes, destroyed by the occupation, provided them with protection and safety, while the current tents lack the minimum elements of fortification against reptiles and pests.
For their part, municipalities and local councils explained that they are forced to transport waste to temporary landfills located within areas not under direct military control. These areas do not exceed 45% of the total area of the Strip and are now overcrowded with more than two million people, making control over temporary landfills almost impossible.
The prolonged war has led to the formation of high hills of accumulated waste near displaced persons' gatherings, contributing to the spread of skin diseases and infectious epidemics. These hills are an ideal environment for the reproduction of insects and rodents, which easily move into nearby tents, in the absence of regular spraying and control operations.
In this context, Dr. Munir Al-Barsh, Director-General of the Ministry of Health, stated that displacement camps have transformed from shelters into environments that generate deadly epidemics. Al-Barsh indicated that statistics show that nearly half of the displaced persons suffer from various skin diseases, due to the absence of the minimum elements of human life and public hygiene.
In turn, Ahmed Al-Soufi, head of the Joint Services Council for Waste Management, warned of an imminent collapse of the solid waste management system in the central and southern governorates. Al-Soufi affirmed in a press conference that the crisis has gone beyond the humanitarian dimension to become an environmental catastrophe that directly threatens the lives of residents, especially with the continued prevention of access to border landfills.
Al-Soufi pointed out that the occupation authorities have strictly prevented the entry of chemical materials designated for insect and rodent control for many months. This deliberate prevention has contributed to the proliferation of pests in huge numbers, which calls for urgent international action to enable municipalities to carry out their essential tasks in protecting public health.
For its part, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed that rodents and pests are spreading in about 80% of the assessed displacement sites. The international organization warned of an increase in cases of skin diseases, emphasizing the urgent need to introduce hygiene supplies and necessary chemical materials for control.
In a related context, the Human Center for Democracy and Rights expressed its deep concern about the deteriorating health and environmental conditions in the Strip. The center affirmed that the accumulation of rubble and untreated waste constitutes a fertile environment for the spread of rats, portending a humanitarian catastrophe that could spiral out of control if immediate intervention is not made.
The human rights center stressed that the right to a clean environment and good health is a fundamental human right guaranteed by international conventions. It called on the international community to pressure the occupation to lift the blockade on environmental equipment and allow the transfer of waste to designated landfills away from overcrowded population centers.
Displacement camps in Gaza are no longer just places of refuge, but have become diseased environments that generate epidemics.
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Gaza: Rodents and snakes attack displaced persons' tents amid warnings of an imminent environmental catastrophe