Images by the Palestinian news agency Wafa showed children searching among piles of garbage along the coast near Gaza City, in a scene that captures the depth of the humanitarian crisis in the Strip with all the danger that the spread of such waste poses to health.

According to UN reports, some 90 per cent of Gaza’s population has been internally displaced, nearly 1.9 million people, due to the ongoing bloody war on the Strip. These displaced people live in overcrowded camps that lack the most basic necessities of life, amid the spread of unpleasant odors and insects, which increases the risk of disease outbreaks.

One Palestinian describes their suffering: “We suffer from many problems; we have skin diseases due to lack of hygiene, the bitter cold increases our suffering, and the smell of garbage floods the place. We can’t sleep at night because of the poor conditions, and there are no bathrooms or any means of hygiene. We lack all the basic necessities of life.”

In addition, the accumulation of waste on the beach and the interruption of garbage collection services lead to serious environmental and health threats. The Strip also suffers from severe shortages of safe drinking water, the absence of adequate sanitation systems, and the decline in food supplies, compounding the daily challenges faced by the people of Gaza.