The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported on Thursday that rats are biting children as they sleep in tents in Gaza, and called for the delivery of pesticides and medicines to the Israeli-blockaded territory.
The agency stated on its X platform account: “Rats are biting children at night inside their tents while they sleep.”
It added that “in Gaza, the already vulnerable population faces an increased risk of disease due to displacement, overcrowded tents, lack of clean water, and the breakdown of environmental health systems.”
UNRWA continued that it is “working closely with the World Health Organization and local partners to monitor the increasing cases of skin infections and the risk of disease outbreaks” caused by the rat infestation.
It stressed the urgent need for “more tents, pesticides, and medicines to be delivered to Gaza.”
Two days ago, UNRWA warned of deteriorating health conditions in Gaza, due to an increase in skin infections resulting from the spread of rats, lice, fleas and mites, amid a severe shortage of medicines and Israel’s prevention of aid from entering.
