Skin Diseases Spread As Gaza Public Health Deteriorates

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 (Bernama) -- Public health conditions in Gaza are deteriorating, with a significant increase in parasitic skin diseases such as scabies and chickenpox caused by poor sanitation, water shortages, and the ongoing restrictions on humanitarian aid.

A weekly situation report by the Government Media Centre at the Office of the Palestinian Prime Minister stated that cases of scabies and chickenpox increased threefold from January to March.

“Israeli occupation authorities continue to use water as a weapon, thereby denying the basic rights of Palestinians in Gaza to access water and further exacerbating their suffering in a form of collective punishment against the Palestinian people,” the report stated.

The report also revealed that approximately 1.4 million residents in temporary settlements across the Gaza Strip are living in overcrowded shelters, a situation worsened by the presence of pests such as rats, the spread of skin infections and lice, and various other health problems.

Additionally, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the economic situation in the Gaza Strip is deeply alarming, with the labour market almost completely paralysed while the unemployment rate surged to around 68 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 45 per cent prior to the Israeli invasion.

According to the report, attacks on Christian clergy and religious institutions in Palestine also increased this week, alongside a rise in incidents involving the seizure of various personal belongings—such as weapons, jewelry, blankets, and personal photographs belonging to residents—by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).

Entering the 207th day since the ceasefire agreement last October, Israel has killed 830 Palestinians, bringing the total death toll to 72,610 people—including at least 21,283 children—and 172,448 injured since Oct 7, 2023, in the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, 1,157 people, including 241 children, were reported killed, while 12,245 were injured and more than 9,600 have been detained.

-- BERNAMA