Red Crescent warns of hepatitis A, gastroenteritis outbreak linked to contaminated water in Gaza

The Red Crescent Society in Gaza has warned of a growing outbreak of hepatitis A and gastroenteritis caused by contaminated drinking water across the Gaza Strip.

Bashar Murad, director of health programmes at the Red Crescent in Gaza, said the spread of hepatitis A is a clear indicator of widespread water contamination. In a press statement issued on Monday, he said around 80 per cent of Gaza’s water network has been destroyed, forcing families to rely on transported water.

Murad said laboratory testing of water samples revealed viruses and bacteria responsible for gastroenteritis. He added that the territory is also witnessing a surge in influenza cases, particularly among children, due to severe overcrowding, extreme cold and environmental pollution.

He said the Red Crescent had prepared a proactive response plan ahead of the recent storm to support vulnerable groups with urgent assistance. However, he stressed that these efforts remain far below the minimum level required to ease the humanitarian suffering.

Since 7 October 2023, Israel, with American, has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, including killing, starvation, mass destruction, forced displacement and arbitrary arrests, while ignoring international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt its actions.

The genocide has left more than 242,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, most of them women and children, with more than 11,000 people reported missing. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, famine has claimed many lives—mostly children—and much of Gaza’s cities and towns have been devastated or erased.