Gaza: 327,000 cases of infectious diseases detected in shelters

A spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf Al-Qudra, has warned that the health and humanitarian situation in shelters is “deadly due to the spread of epidemics, infectious diseases, malnutrition and the lack of clean drinking water and personal hygiene.”

In his daily press briefing yesterday, Al-Qudra explained that health teams have detected 327,000 cases of infectious diseases that arrived at health centres from shelters, noting that the actual number is likely much higher, since many people cannot reach health care centres.

He added that as of yesterday, the death toll resulting from the Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip has risen to 18,608 people and 50,594 wounded, the majority of them children.

Al-Qudra added that as many as 196 Palestinian were killed and 499 others were injured yesterday, noting that there were a large number of victims who were still under the rubble and on the roads.

Children’s vaccinations have now completely run out, he added, which will have catastrophic health repercussions and the spread of diseases, especially among the displaced in overcrowded shelters, calling on international institutions to quickly intervene to provide the necessary vaccinations and ensure access in all areas of the Gaza Strip to prevent the unfolding health disaster.

READ: UNICEF: So-called safe zones will be zones of disease