KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — At Nasser Hospital in central Gaza, a continuous flow of distressed children and anxious parents fills the dermatology office.
A toddler, her face marked by red and white spots, cried as her mother explained how the rash had spread to her neck and chest. Another mother revealed the extensive rashes on her son’s body, while a father stood his daughter on the doctor’s desk to expose the lesions on her calves.
Health officials in Gaza are grappling with a surge in skin diseases. The overcrowded tent camps, summer heat, and collapsed sanitation amid the ongoing Israeli bombardment have created perfect conditions for these illnesses to thrive. According to the World Health Organization, doctors are dealing with over 103,000 cases of lice and scabies and 65,000 cases of skin rashes. The United Nations Development Program reports more than 1 million cases of acute respiratory infections, over half a million cases of acute diarrhea, and more than 100,000 cases of jaundice since the conflict began.
Living conditions in the tent camps make cleanliness impossible. Residents describe tents as wood frames covered with blankets or plastic sheets, packed closely together. “There’s no shampoo, no soap,” said Munira al-Nahhal, who lives in a tent near Khan Younis. “The water is dirty. Everything is sand and insects and garbage.” Her tent, crowded with grandchildren, was a hotspot for rashes. “One child gets it, and it spreads to all of them,” she added.
Access to clean water is scarce. Some families resort to washing in salt water from the Mediterranean. Clothes are worn repeatedly until they can be washed and then worn again immediately. Flies are omnipresent, and children play in garbage-strewn sand.
Shaima Marshoud, speaking about her daughter’s condition, said, “First it was spots on her face. Then it spread to her stomach and arms, all over her forehead. It hurts. It itches. And there’s no treatment. Or if there is, we can’t afford it.”
Over 1.8 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, many relocating multiple times to escape Israeli ground assaults or bombardments. Most are now crammed into a 50-square-kilometer area along the coast with minimal sewage systems and water supply.
Humanitarian aid, including essential hygiene products and medicines, has dwindled to a trickle due to the danger posed by ongoing Israeli military operations and general lawlessness. The Israeli campaign began following the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to the abduction of 350 others. Gaza health authorities report over 39,000 people have been killed in Israel’s subsequent assaults.
“The solid waste management system has collapsed,” said Chitose Noguchi, deputy special representative of the UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People. Gaza’s two pre-war landfills are now unreachable, and 10 temporary sites have been established. However, over 140 informal dumping sites have emerged, some turning into large pools of human waste and garbage. “People are living next to dumping sites, which is really critical in terms of the health crisis,” Noguchi noted.
At Nasser Hospital, dermatologist Nassim Basala said they see 300 to 500 patients daily with skin diseases. The overcrowding in agricultural fields near Khan Younis has exacerbated the issue, with insects proliferating in the summer heat. Scabies, lice, and other infections are rampant, making even simple cases dangerous. For instance, impetigo, a bacterial infection treatable with creams, can spread to the kidneys if left untreated, potentially causing kidney failure. The hospital faces shortages of creams and ointments.
Children are the most affected, but adults also suffer. In the dermatology office, a man showed the painful sores on his feet and ankles, while a woman displayed her raw, chapped hands. Mohammed al-Rayan, whose children suffer from rashes, said, “They give us creams, but it’s no use when you don’t have anything to wash with. You put on the cream, it gets better, but the next day it’s back.”
Parents are left to comfort their children amid painful and persistent conditions. Manar al-Hessi’s toddler cried as she applied cream to her scabs and sores. “It’s horrible,” al-Hessi said. “There are always flies on her face. She goes in the toilet or the garbage, and it gets in her hands. The filth is huge.”
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