DUBAI: Eight months into a ceasefire that has failed to stop Israeli attacks or fully open Gaza’s borders, the 2.1 million Palestinians inside the besieged enclave are entering a summer that aid agencies warn could accelerate an already unfolding public health catastrophe.
As summer temperatures soar in Gaza, more than 1.9 million Palestinians displaced by the war, about 90 percent of the population, remain in overcrowded makeshift tents, where access to basic services remains limited.
Aid agencies warn that plastic and fabric structures that absorb heat and provide no ventilation or insulation have become incubators for the parasites, rodents and infectious disease now spreading across displacement sites.
“Most internally displaced people in Gaza currently live in uninhabitable tents made of fabric or plastic sheets. The plastic sheets cause several negative health consequences, including skin rashes due to overheating inside the plastic tents,” Sally Saleh, head of emergency in Gaza at Medical Aid for Palestinians, told Arab News.
“The temperature inside the tents is often much higher than outside and the ventilation is incredibly poor as there are no sufficient windows. This is also the perfect environment for parasites.”
