Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
UNICEF has raised concerns about the worsening conditions for children in Gaza, highlighting severe health risks from inadequate sanitation and overcrowding. The agency reported that families are sheltering in buildings affected by sewage leaks and rodent infestations, resulting in injuries like rat bites and bacterial infections among children.
UNICEF Communication Specialist Salim Oweis described cases such as a four-year-old girl bitten by a rat and another child suffering from lesions due to bacterial infections. Parents expressed distress at being unable to protect their children’s health in these circumstances. Many families are crowded into limited spaces, living amid rubble and accumulating solid waste.
Access to clean water remains severely restricted. UNICEF aims to provide clean water to up to 1.5 million people each month but faces severe operational constraints. Recently, two drivers contracted by UNICEF were killed at a critical water filling point, which is now inaccessible. Essential materials needed to repair and maintain Gaza’s water system are not entering in adequate quantities due to restrictions.
These ongoing sanitation challenges have led to a rise in childhood illnesses, including respiratory infections, acute watery diarrhoea, and skin diseases. Pests such as fleas and lice further worsen health risks. UNICEF stresses the urgent need for waste and rubble removal to reduce public health threats.
These conditions underscore the severe humanitarian and health crisis facing children and families in Gaza, compounded by infrastructure damage and obstacles to aid delivery.