Dr. Mohammed al-Sheikh, Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital
“Serious skin diseases are emerging in many parts of the Gaza Strip due to environmental pollution and the lack of access to hygiene products. These diseases are now spreading, especially among children. As you know, the near-continuous Israeli attacks have forced our people to move constantly. The temporary shelters and schools where displaced people are staying are overcrowded beyond belief. You have to see it to understand… With the complete destruction of infrastructure, sewage and garbage are piling up in the streets. There’s no clean drinking water, no cleaning supplies. Even the limited amount of medicine available is hard to access. On top of that, we have hot weather and a rapid increase in insects like flies… All of these factors combined are causing diseases to spread rapidly. The situation is dire in every sense. To prevent these diseases, we urgently need access to clean water and medicine, proper waste treatment, garbage collection, and healthy food supplies for the shelters. But first and foremost, the Israeli attacks must stop to make any of this possible.”
Saja Kirayyim
“The water is dirty, the conditions in the schools where we’ve taken refuge are horrible, the schools are overcrowded, and there are no cleaning supplies. This is why our children are getting skin diseases. My 9-year-old son is currently in the hospital being treated for a skin condition. The hospital has almost no resources. Everyone is trying to do something with what little they have. Our children are already malnourished. On top of that, we can’t access the medicine and ointments needed for treatment. Please, have mercy on these children!”
Rana Abu Karnoub
“My daughter contracted chickenpox due to the lack of cleaning supplies. The schools we sought refuge in, thinking they were safe, are neither clean nor sanitary—they are overcrowded. Everywhere is filled with garbage and sewage. The situation is terrifying. There are no showers, no functioning bathrooms, no clean water… The food we have is also far from hygienic. The weather is oppressively hot, and there are so many flies. The pollution is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Mohammed Basyuni
“We fled from Beit Hanoun and sought refuge in a school in the New Beit Lahiya area. My children contracted skin diseases because of the sewage here. It’s utterly heartbreaking to watch your children suffer, go hungry, and be unable to find medicine. In the schools, 4-5 families stay in the small classrooms, and 7-8 families in the larger ones. Everyone is crammed together. People don’t have money to buy food. Even if you find some money, the prices are exorbitant.”
Nusra Abu al-Ata
“We’re all suffering from allergies or skin diseases due to the lack of water and cleaning supplies. Look at us, we’re itching to death! There’s no medicine! Where are we supposed to find medicine?”
Mudallal Salman Abu al-Ata
“I tragically lost my husband, children, and siblings in Israeli attacks. Since the attacks began, we’ve been forced to move multiple times. I’m currently living in a tent with my siblings’ children. As you can see, sewage is everywhere. There’s no clean water, no hygiene, and there is an abundance of insects… The weather is unbearably hot. Due to these conditions, the children have developed various skin diseases like chickenpox and scabies. We’re trying every possible way to treat them, but the border crossings are closed, so we can’t get medicine.”
