Gaza on ‘brink of deadly epidemic outbreak’, says Oxfam
The global charity is sounding the alarm over the risk of deadly diseases spreading in Gaza, saying that the Israeli invasion of Rafah is compounding a “lethal cocktail of over-crowding, sewage and hunger”.
Oxfam’s staff in Gaza are describing piles of human waste and rivers of sewage in the streets. They said people are also drinking dirty water while children are being bitten by insects swarming around the sewage. All of this makes conditions ripe for the outbreak of epidemics, including Hepatitis A and cholera, the charity warned.
The situation is further worsened by Israel’s invasion of Rafah, it said.
“Israel’s military assault on Rafah could be devastating, not only because of the risk of mass civilian casualties, but also the repercussions of vast numbers of people being forced to move,” Oxfam’s Middle East Director Sally Abi Khalil said.
Rubbish accumulates along a non-functioning sewage dump, attracting mosquitos and other insects, causing a health hazard in Gaza City, on May 3
Israeli attacks cause $210m worth of damage to Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure
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The aid agency said assessments from the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) show that Israeli attacks since October 7 have caused damage worth at least $210m to Gaza’s water and sanitation systems. The utility came up with the estimate based on field surveys and data collected from its staff in 25 municipal areas.
“The entire water supply and sewage management systems are nearing total collapse because the damage is so extensive,” Monther Shoblaq, the CEO of CMWU, was quoted as saying.
“There is no power to operate the water wells, desalination plants and the remaining wastewater treatment plants and the sewage is overflowing. We are doing all we can, but the situation is desperate.”
Palestinians face the risk of epidemics due to uncollected rubbish and accumulated sewage water in Rafah, Gaza on April 26
Israeli orders to flee displace 100,000 people in north Gaza, UN says
Farhan Haq, the UN’s deputy spokesman, told reporters that evacuation orders issued by Israel for northern Gaza have “resulted in the displacement of some 100,000 people so far”.
Haq said those fleeing the north are in addition to the nearly 360,000 people that have left the southern city of Rafah.
“We remain deeply concerned about the lack of protection for civilians – and the lack of safety for humanitarian operations,” the UN spokesman said. Under international humanitarian law, he stressed, “civilians must be protected and have their basic needs met, whether they move or stay” and “those who leave must have enough time to do so, as well as a safe route and a safe place to go”.
Earlier, we brought you an update from the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA, which said some 20 percent of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million people have been displaced yet again in the past week due to intensified Israeli military operations.
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