Published on: 2026-05-18
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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In an overcrowded camp for internally displaced persons in the Gaza Strip, thousands of families are forced to fight an invasion of rats and insects against the backdrop of deteriorating sanitary conditions and the destruction of the utility system.
Many residents of the enclave were forced to leave their homes multiple times, escaping the hostilities between Israel and Hamas. A significant part of the healthcare system is destroyed, and living conditions continue to rapidly deteriorate: streets are flooded with sewage, and sewage systems are virtually non-functional.
Sanitary crisis
Residents of the camps report that rats enter the tents daily, spoil food supplies, and even attack children at night. In the resettlement area, concerns are growing about the spread of skin diseases and other infections.
In one of the camps in the center of the city of Gaza, Fadi Jundia, who previously left one of the eastern districts of the city, said that rodents have become a part of everyday life.
“The problem with rats has existed since the first day this camp appeared, but now they are spreading among the tents at completely abnormal rates. Every time we get rid of one rat, ten more appear. And it is becoming more and more, and we have no solution,” he said.
According to him, rats gnaw through plastic covers and destroy food products. Homemade traps no longer help, and either the poison is not on the shelf, or its price is too high for the displaced persons.
Jundyia also noted that children live in constant fear, especially at night, when they have to go to the toilet outside.
Another resident of the camp, Muhammad Talal, said that his child was bitten by rats at night.
“My child was attacked by rats, and, thank God, it didn’t end worse. At five in the morning, I took him to the hospital where they treated the wound on his face. We continue to suffer because of the rats, especially since there is no lighting here,” he said.
UN agency efforts
Teams of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) regularly carry out disinfection and spray pesticides in camps and schools converted into shelters.
The UN Development Program (UNDP) announced the launch of a comprehensive plan to combat rodents and insects in cooperation with local municipalities across the entire Gaza Strip. The decision to expand efforts was made against the backdrop of the deterioration of the conditions in hospitals, schools, and temporary shelters.
Muhammad Talal says that the situation requires urgent measures: “I don’t sleep all night because of rats and keep the phone on so there’s light. If I have money, I charge the phone; if not, I have to sleep in the dark. The children are afraid to go to the bathroom at night and ask someone to accompany them with a flashlight. If there is no light, I go with them carrying a stick in my hand. I don’t know what else to do.”
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