LONDON: In Gaza’s tent camps, sleep has become a shift. Parents take turns through the night, not for warmth or safety from bombardment, but to watch for rats, scorpions and snakes.
For thousands of displaced families, the alternative can be waking to find a child bitten — or worse.
“Every summer, different kinds of pests appear,” said Maysa Yousef, an artist and mother of three in central Gaza. “This summer, we’re finding snakes and scorpions.”
Rats, she said, have become especially difficult to contain.
“Gaza is full of garbage, making it the perfect environment for rodents,” Yousef told Arab News. “They eat everything. They walk in front of you during the day or beside you as if they were members of the family.”
