Gaza Sanitation Collapse Spurs Public Health Emergency, Aid Agencies Warn

In Gaza, displaced families face a public health emergency as mountains of garbage rise, sewage spills into streets and camps, temperatures soar, and clean water becomes increasingly scarce, aid agencies warn.

Arab News reported that the UN Relief and Works Agency said more than 125,000 cases of skin infections linked to rats and parasites occurred between January and May this year, as rising infestations and deteriorating sanitation conditions increase public health risks across the enclave.

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The World Health Organization said nearly 90 percent of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, while about 80 percent of the population relies on trucked drinking water.

Arab News quoted Medecins Sans Frontieres’ Gaza emergency coordinator Prue Coakley, who said, “All the water networks, sewage systems, electricity, everything is damaged … so effectively, you don’t have a proper sewage system anymore.”

The WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier warned that “The most immediate public health risks are communicable diseases associated with unsafe water, poor sanitation, inadequate waste management and overcrowded living conditions.”

On Saturday, an Israeli drone strike targeting two displacement tents west of Khan Younis killed two Palestinians, including a woman, and injured seven others, according to medical sources told Anadolu Agency.

Middle East Monitor said the tents were hit on Al-Rashid Street near the entrance to Roni Street in the Al-Mawasi area, and witnesses said the strike destroyed both tents and damaged nearby shelters.

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The same Anadolu-linked account described the targeted location as lying outside the zone of Israeli military deployment and control under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, according to witnesses.

UN News said humanitarian partners reported that displaced families are increasingly reporting skin injuries and other illnesses as a result of rats and insects entering their tents or contaminating their food.

UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said the UN and its partners are doing all they can to improve sanitation services and pest control, but “providing adequate and more sustainable responses requires restoring access to the two sanitary landfills in Gaza near the border area.”

In Gaza, extreme cold and sewage contamination have continued to claim lives, with Anadolu Ajansı reporting that six-month-old Yousef Abu Hamad died earlier this week after prolonged exposure to freezing cold and sewage contamination near his family’s makeshift shelter in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis.

“Toggle Play Gaza’s displaced families face worsening living conditions Rats are invading displacement camps across Gaza, where piles of garbage, overflowing sewage and overcrowded shelters are worsening a public health crisis”

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Anadolu Ajansı quoted Yousef’s grandmother Um Mohammed saying, “When we arrived, he was already dead,” after receiving a late-night call that his body had turned blue because of the cold.

TRT Français reported that the death toll from extreme cold in the Gaza Strip has risen to 24, including 21 children, with local authorities saying seven children died since the start of winter and the total reached 24 as of January 13, 2026.

The ICRC said harsh winter conditions are creating new problems after more than two years of conflict, and it warned that freezing cold and torrential rains are “not merely a seasonal variation but a real threat to their survival.”

ICRC also said under international humanitarian law, civilians “must have access to food, water, hygiene items and medicines, safe shelter and other essential goods,” as winter storms flood tents and hospitals report sharp rises in acute respiratory symptoms and dangerous drops in body temperature.