Gaza health minister warns of disease outbreaks as winter rains flood tents
Majed Abu Ramadan urged urgent international action to shelter displaced families and prevent outbreaks of respiratory infections and waterborne disease.
Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan has called on the international community, the United Nations and aid groups to act immediately to protect hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Saturday.
In a statement, Abu Ramadan said heavy rains have flooded thousands of tents, leaving people without safe shelter as health and sanitation conditions worsen.
He said the risks will grow as winter sets in.
The minister said damaged water and sewage networks, piling garbage, shortages of clean water and hygiene supplies, overcrowding and malnutrition have compounded the crisis.
He warned that cold, damp conditions inside damaged tents raise the risk of influenza and pneumonia, especially among children, infants, older people and patients.
Abu Ramadan also cautioned that waste, sewage contamination and weak pest control are attracting rodents and insects, increasing the risk of water and food contamination.
He added that malnutrition is weakening people's ability to fight infections, particularly among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The minister said Gaza's healthcare system, already badly damaged and short of medicines, fuel and staff, has little capacity to respond to rising needs or an outbreak.
He called for rain-resistant tents, insulation, heating, blankets and winter clothing, along with clean drinking water, hygiene supplies, waste removal, pest control, sewage repairs and better drainage.
"What is happening in Gaza is not a passing winter crisis, but an escalating threat to public health and people's lives that requires immediate international action," Abu Ramadan said.
He warned that any delay would put more lives at risk and place further strain on a healthcare system he described as exhausted.