Khan Younis, Gaza. Rats and parasites are spreading through tent camps and damaged homes sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza, with residents reporting bites, property damage and fears of disease.
Spread in tent camps and damaged homes
The outbreak is unfolding as most of Gaza’s more than 2 million people have been displaced, with many living in bombed-out homes and makeshift tents on open ground, roadsides, or atop the ruins of destroyed buildings.
Wedding trousseau damaged in Khan Younis
Amani Abu Selmi, 20, who is displaced with her family in Khan Younis in the south, said rats gnawed through the garments and bags of her wedding trousseau inside their tent days before her wedding day. She and her mother showed Reuters holes the rodents had eaten through her gown, a traditional burgundy embroidered dress customary in Palestinian weddings. “All my happiness was gone, it turned to sadness, turned to heartbreak – that my things are gone, my wedding trousseau is gone,” she said.
Residents report bites and sleepless nights
Khalil Al-Mashharawi, 26, said a rat bit the hand and toes of his 3-year-old son several weeks ago, and that he himself was bitten last Friday. He said he and his wife now sleep in shifts to protect their children and one another, describing rodent traps as largely ineffective in Gaza’s ruined homes and tent encampments. “They strike in our sleep,” said Al-Mashharawi, who lives with his family in the ruins of their house in the Tuffah neighbourhood in northern Gaza. He said the rats may disappear for a day or two before returning, forcing their way under floor tiles.
Hospital director warns of worsening conditions
Mohamed Abu Selmia, head of Gaza’s largest hospital, said he expects the problem to worsen as summer approaches and amid an Israeli ban on pest control materials such as rat poison. Israel generally restricts the entry to Gaza of items that it says can have dual military or civilian use.
How are you and your family coping with pest infestations where you are sheltering?