Israel’s Bombardment And Blockade Trigger Gaza Public Health Collapse With Rodent Infestation

Gaza is facing an “environmental and biological apocalypse” under Israeli bombardment and blockade, Palestinian aid worker Eyad Amawi of the Gaza Relief Committee said, describing sewage contamination and rodent infestation as “an everyday hazard for refugees living in tent camps.”

Amawi said the situation is “no longer just bombardment or physical destruction,” adding that it is “the collapse of every essential condition required for human survival: water, food, health, dignity, shelter, safety, everything.”

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He told Democracy Now! that a field survey found “more than 59 percentage of our people suffer from insufficient drinking water” and “more than 55 are uncertain whether the water they consume is safe or no.”

Amawi said “nearly 94 percentage of families report food spoilage,” and he described rodent infestation as widespread inside shelter due to environmental collapse, warning of a “compound environmental-epidemic crisis.”

He also said Israeli forces still control “more than 60 percentage of Gaza Strip area,” as Israel continues daily strikes while expanding areas under its control and blocking essential aid from entering the besieged territory.

A case described by Mondoweiss highlighted the health consequences of rodent infestation, with Enshrah Hajjaj, a 61-year-old woman with diabetes, telling the outlet that rats had eaten through her toes while she slept.

Mondoweiss reported that Nisreen Kilab, head of the Environmental Health Department at the Health Ministry, said, “We suspected several leptospirosis infections, but unfortunately, these cases could not be confirmed through laboratory testing due to the absence of the required means.”

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Kilab warned that skin diseases spreading in Gaza are driven by insect, flea, and rodent bites, and she said without urgent intervention “the outbreak will only deepen.”

The outlet also cited WHO figures saying “more than 70,000 cases of ectoparasite infections were reported in Gaza in 2026,” and it reported that over 80% of displacement camps had recurring rodent and pest infestations alongside skin conditions such as scabies and lice.

Mondoweiss added that Gaza’s health risks are intensified by restrictions on medical travel, noting that exit permits for medical travel remain beyond reach due to Israel’s continued closure of the Rafah border crossing.

As World Health Day was marked, SANA said Gaza’s health sector crisis worsens amid Israeli attacks that left wide destruction in hospitals and medical centers, with warnings from doctors and health workers that the system is closer to collapse.

SANA reported that “more than 1,800 health facilities have been damaged, either fully or partially,” and it said OCHA estimates that only about “42% of health facilities in the Gaza Strip are currently functioning.”

Inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, SANA quoted Dr. Hassan al-Shaer saying cancer drugs available cover “no more than about 15%—of the total medicines these patients need.”

SANA also described how alternative medical points provide only the bare minimum, and it quoted Dr. Khaled Sayyam, who works at a medical point inside one of UNRWA’s displacement centers, saying the center receives between “150 and 200 cases daily.”

In parallel, the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed report warned that Gaza’s displacement camps are becoming an “ideal environment for the spread of diseases,” with Amjad al-Shawa saying the health and environmental crisis worsens daily as waste, rubble, and sewage accumulate and temperatures rise.