Rats infest Gaza camps, biting children and spreading disease

Añadido: 2026-05-01

[00:00:01]In the rubble of Khan Yunis, Gazans displaced by war find their tents overrun with rats, insects, and parasites.

[00:00:10]They bite children's fingers as they sleep, gnaw through belongings, and spread disease. This outbreak is unfolding as many of Gaza's more than 2 million people are now living in bombed-out homes and makeshift tents pitched on open ground, on roadsides, or atop the ruins of destroyed buildings.

[00:00:25]Amid shortages imposed by Israel, pesticides and rat traps are scarce.

[00:00:32]Hali Abu Salmi now lives here in a tent.

[00:00:39]We used to have rodents in the past, but they were little, and we didn't feel them in our homes, in the stone buildings.

[00:00:46]The municipality used to give us insecticides and spray for mosquitoes, fleas, flies, and rodents.

[00:00:54]They gave us poison and other products to address this thing.

[00:00:57]But we're surprised to find them living with us. This is truly difficult.

[00:01:03]We can't bear this at all. We just can't.

[00:01:07]Israel cites security concerns for curbs on Gaza. Israel generally restricts the entry to Gaza of items it says can have dual military or civilian use. Dr. Assad Saddiq heads the dermatology department at Nasser Hospital.

[00:01:23]He told Reuters accumulation of waste is leading to contact between humans and vermin, leading to bites and skin infections. He said restrictions on aid have meant severe shortages of dermatology treatments in the Gaza Strip. An October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has done little to ease the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where sewage and sanitation systems have been mostly destroyed by Israel, and humanitarian aid is subject to Israeli restrictions.

[00:01:51]Saheb Lakhan is a spokesperson for the Khan Yunis municipality. He said the destruction of infrastructure has prevented the city from accessing its main landfill, meaning waste accumulates among the displaced residents. He estimated Khan Yunis had more than 450,000 tons of waste surrounding the tents. The World Health Organization's local representative said there were around 17,000 rodent and ectoparasitic infection-related cases in Gaza so far this year.