WHO Warns of Worsening Water and Disease Crisis in Gaza
The World Health Organization has warned that the shortage of safe drinking water and the spread of infectious diseases have seriously worsened the situation for residents of the Gaza Strip ahead of the cold and rainy season.
The agency said the worsening health and humanitarian situation, combined with the lack of basic living facilities, could increase the suffering of people in the enclave in the coming weeks. According to the organization, life in overcrowded tents for displaced people continues under highly poor conditions, and access to even the minimum drinking water needs has still not been secured.
The World Health Organization added that the level of water contamination in samples collected from the Gaza Strip between January and August this year was three times higher than in previous samples. The agency warned that this situation has led to an increase in severe cases of diarrhea, with 48,000 cases recorded in August alone.
The organization also expressed concern about the approaching rainy season, saying that flooding of displaced people’s tents, shortages of food supplies and the further spread of infectious diseases would deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The Gaza Strip is a small, densely populated enclave on the Mediterranean coast, where, amid war and widespread displacement, residents face serious difficulties in accessing water, food and medical services.
