Summer heat accelerates skin disease outbreak in Gaza refugee camps
Moath al-Kahlout
United Nations agencies warn of a new public health crisis in Gaza as skin infections triple in recent months, driven by summer heat and poor sanitation in crowded refugee camps. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reports that cases of scabies, chickenpox, and other infections are surging, especially among children. Health workers say treatment is severely hampered by the Israeli blockade, which restricts imports of essential medical supplies and insecticides.
Gaza City, Palestine – The United Nations has warned of a new public health emergency emerging in Gaza as skin diseases spread rapidly through overcrowded refugee camps. The risk is expected to worsen as summer approaches.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reports that cases of skin infections have tripled in recent months. The surge is driven by rising temperatures, overcrowding, and deteriorating sanitary conditions—creating a fertile environment for scabies, chickenpox, and other infections, particularly among children.
As the summer of 2025 nears, families and health workers fear a repeat of 2024, when at least 150,000 people in Gaza contracted skin diseases, largely due to war-related shortages of medical supplies.
Although a ceasefire has been in effect in the Gaza Strip since October 2025, Israel continues to conduct attacks and maintain a blockade, severely restricting the import of essential medical equipment.
“We have searched everywhere in this strip; it is full of displaced people,” said Fawzi al-Najjar, a Palestinian living in a refugee camp. “There are millions of people crammed together. And we have come to live on a garbage dump. This is a big problem. What are we to do with dogs, cats, fleas, and rats everywhere? Look at my hands!”
With limited medical supply, Palestinians like al-Najjar rely on homemade remedies to treat their relatives. Health workers' efforts to curb the spread are also severely hindered by the blockade.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the situation in displacement camps continues to deteriorate. “Field teams report that insects and skin infections in Gaza are still on the rise,” he told a press conference last month. “In March, infection cases more than tripled in UN-run displacement sites.” He added that the crisis now “affects nearly 10,000 people, compared to about 3,000 in January.” Dujarric called for expanded access “to allow the importation of lice shampoo, creams, hygiene supplies, and insecticides—to avert a larger public health crisis.”
In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, health workers are urgently disinfecting thousands of tents to reduce transmission, but due to supply shortages, many areas may remain untreated. “Over the past 26 days, we have sprayed more than 50,000 tents out of a total of 200,000,” said Saeb Lagan, a spokesperson for the Khan Younis municipal authority. “We are struggling because we cannot purchase the necessary materials; insecticides are not available on the local market.”
In Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, hundreds of children are suffering from scabies, chickenpox, and other dermatological conditions linked to poor hygiene and overcrowded living conditions. “Skin diseases spread quickly because of close contact,” said general practitioner Salim Ramadan. “We cannot prevent that contact. Treatment is extremely difficult because medicines are not available, and the necessary conditions such as nutrition, ventilation, and post-treatment hygiene are also lacking.”
