GAZA, (PIC)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported more than 17,000 cases of infection among displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip linked to rodents and external parasites since the beginning of the year, as health and humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate amid the ongoing Israeli assault.
In a statement, the organization said that “desperate and dangerous conditions in Gaza continue to hinder recovery efforts,” noting a rise in infection rates among families at a time when the healthcare system lacks the supplies and tools needed to respond effectively.
The WHO estimated damage to the health sector alone at around $1.4 billion, adding that more than 1,800 health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed, “from major hospitals such as Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to smaller primary healthcare centers, clinics, pharmacies, and laboratories.”
Despite a ceasefire agreement that came into effect on 10 October 2025 following two years of war, living and health conditions remain dire for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents, including 1.4 million displaced people.
The situation has been exacerbated by Israel’s failure to meet its commitments, including reopening crossings and allowing the agreed quantities of food, humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and shelter materials into the territory.
According to the WHO’s website, its new representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, Reinhilde van de Weerdt, described her first visit to Gaza as overwhelming. “Nothing can prepare you for the scale of devastation there,” she said.
“Reading reports and statistics is not enough. Standing in the streets among towering piles of rubble gives a completely different sense of the destruction,” she added.
Van de Weerdt noted that more than 17,000 infections linked to rodents and parasites have been recorded among displaced people since the start of the year, while over 80 percent of displacement sites have reported skin conditions such as scabies, lice, and bedbugs due to worsening living conditions.
She stressed that the WHO and its partners urgently need to bring in laboratory equipment and supplies to better understand the spread of diseases, but said such materials have not been allowed into Gaza due to the ongoing blockade.
The official called for a “change in the situation,” urging protection for healthcare workers, the entry of essential medicines and supplies, and the removal of restrictions that continue to hinder medical response efforts.
During the war, Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted the healthcare sector, including hospitals, facilities, and medical personnel, causing widespread destruction and severely undermining medical services.
In a related development, Julius Van Der Walt, the Chief of the Mine Action Program in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, warned of the ongoing danger posed by unexploded ordnance scattered across Gaza, much of it embedded in rubble.
“We have only scratched the surface in understanding the scale of explosive contamination in Gaza,” he said, noting that it continues to prevent displaced Palestinians from returning to their homes and hinders recovery efforts.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, he highlighted Gaza’s high population density as a major challenge for demining operations.
Before the war, around 6,000 people lived per square kilometer, compared to about 120 in Syria, and that number has since doubled in confined residential areas following mass displacement.
He described dealing with unexploded ordnance as a “daily emergency” requiring an estimated $541 million in funding, with implementation dependent on access permits and the availability of specialized equipment.
Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have dropped more than 200,000 tons of explosives on Gaza, including internationally prohibited munitions, according to the Government Media Office in the territory.
