A child cries on the day of the funeral of Palestinian Mousa Al-Abyad, who was killed by Israeli gunfire on Sunday, according to medics, in Gaza City, May 4, 2026. (Credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)
BEIRUT — The U.N. agency for refugees (Unrwa) sounded the alarm Tuesday over a significant increase in skin diseases in the Gaza Strip, due to the spread of rats and parasites in the enclave, which has been almost completely destroyed and besieged by Israel, and where humanitarian aid is not arriving in sufficient quantities.
"Gaza residents are increasingly suffering from skin infections due to the proliferation of pests, including rats, lice, fleas, and mites. Unrwa health teams are treating about 40% of the thousands of reported cases — whereas under normal circumstances, these situations would be easily managed with simple treatments, which are currently unavailable," the organization wrote on X.
"In Gaza, basic medicines are in short supply and many children are left without the care they need. Large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, otherwise the situation is likely to continue to deteriorate," it concluded.
The number of aid trucks entering Gaza has sharply declined, in violation of the ceasefire agreed upon between Israel and Hamas in October 2025. The Israeli army continues to regularly kill Palestinians in the enclave, where more than 70,000 people have lost their lives during the war, not counting those still buried under the rubble.
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