Lina Altawell
05 May 2026•Update: 05 May 2026
Palestinians in the Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip are increasingly suffering from skin infections due to a surge in pests, including rats, lice, fleas and mites, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.
UNRWA said its health teams are treating about 40% of “thousands of cases,” noting that such conditions are “usually easily managed with simple remedies,” which are currently unavailable in Gaza.
“In Gaza, basic medicines are in short supply and many children are left without the treatment they need,” the UN agency added in a statement on US social media company X.
It warned that unless aid is allowed into Gaza at scale, “the situation is likely to deteriorate further.”
The warning comes amid a worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, where shortages of medical supplies and deteriorating living conditions have contributed to the spread of diseases.
The Israeli army has killed more than 72,600 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 172,000 in a deadly assault on Gaza since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Despite a ceasefire in place since last October, Israel has refused to allow the agreed quantities of humanitarian supplies into the enclave, where about 2.4 million Palestinians, including 1.5 million displaced, face severe humanitarian conditions.
