Epidemic alert in Gaza refugee camps as Israeli genocide continues

Amin Qudsi

Palestinian authorities are warning of an outbreak of epidemics and diseases among refugees in Gaza City as increasing numbers of desperate families seek shelter in its already overcrowded refugee camps.
The Gaza City Municipality said Monday the mass exodus of civilians from northern Gaza to the city “has added more pressure on water, sanitation and waste collection services.”
This had worsened the health and environmental crisis in the war-torn city.
Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been forced to flee their homes in northern Gaza to the city due to Israel’s ongoing genocide.
“The forced displacement has caused unprecedented levels of waste accumulation and a significant increase in demand for water, making the situation extremely difficult,” authorities said.
They appealed to the international community to urgently intervene to meet the basic needs of refugees “to avoid further deterioration in public health.”
Since October 5, Israel has waged a large-scale ground operation in northern Gaza to purportedly prevent Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to forcibly displace its residents.
Since then, no humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, was allowed into the area, leaving most of the population there – estimated currently to be 80,000 – on the verge of imminent famine, Yeni Safak reports.