Rodents, disease spread through Gaza displacement camps
Shafaq News
As summer approaches, an accelerating environmental and public health emergency is gripping displacement camps across the Gaza Strip, where the proliferation of rodents and insects poses daily threats to thousands of displaced families, the Palestinian Media Center (PMC) reported on Friday.
The crisis is driven by the accumulation of solid waste, the collapse of regular garbage collection systems, and the spread of stagnant water and raw sewage near tent shelters —conditions that specialists describe as an ideal breeding environment for flies, mosquitoes, and rats.
Displacement sites across the Strip have become open disease vectors, according to PMC, with no effective containment measures currently in place.
Gaza resident Samer al-Khalidi told the Center that rodents have ceased to be a minor nuisance and now represent a direct threat to family safety, particularly for children, pointing out that the animals infiltrate sleeping and food storage areas, damage personal property, and have attacked children during sleep.
Resident Layla Abu Awda described conditions in the camps as resembling a nightly vigil, with families staying awake to protect children and food supplies. “The problem extends beyond rodents to insects that cause painful bites and persistent skin disease.”
Resident Nader Hamdan warned that contamination of food and water sources is causing the spread of infectious disease, particularly among children living and playing in polluted environments.
In the absence of professional pest control resources, displaced residents are relying on manual traps, smoke produced by open fires, and traditional remedies that the report describes as inadequate against the scale of infestation.
Resident Khaled Abu Shamala called on relevant authorities to intervene by supplying pesticides and effective pest control tools, removing waste and rubble, and improving sewage infrastructure. He stated that the continuation of current conditions compounds the suffering of the displaced and constitutes a threat to both their health and human dignity.
Local sources cited by PMC indicated that pest control campaigns are being prepared for the most densely populated displacement zones, though significant logistical obstacles to implementation remain.
