GAZA, (PIC)
The people of Gaza endure harrowing suffering due to the ongoing genocide over the past 15 months. Among these trials, unwelcome guests—rats and rodents—add to their misery, exacerbating the already dire conditions of daily life.
As a consequence of the relentless destruction, Gazans are forced to coexist with these pests, particularly in the devastated areas. The rodents, considered among the worst environmental hazards, pose severe challenges for the residents of the Gaza Strip.
In a ruined house in Khan Yunis, destroyed during an Israeli incursion, Akram Al-Farra and his family live under a collapsing roof. Despite refusing to move into tents, they cannot escape the rodent infestation.
Destruction fuels rodent infestation
Rodents, known as one of the five “dangerous pests” due to their significant threat, have proliferated in Gaza as a direct result of the Israeli onslaught. Al-Farra explained to our correspondent that the rodents now leap over children at night, terrifying them.
“They don’t just stop there,” he added. “They share our food, chew our clothes, and destroy what little belongings remain after the bombing. We suffer—we are dying every moment.”
Al-Farra, who has been displaced multiple times from his home in Khan Yunis, chose to remain in his damaged house. Yet, he faces the presence of rodents, harmful spiders, and worms. “We accepted living here despite the risks, but these pests disturb our nights and days, gnawing on everything in sight,” he lamented.
Eyewitnesses claim that the Israeli military introduced these rodents to the areas it invaded. However, local authorities in Gaza have not confirmed this assertion.
Plague and other diseases
Scientific reports highlight that rodents are vectors for numerous diseases. They carry Salmonella bacteria in their digestive systems, which can infect humans through contact with contaminated surfaces. Symptoms include fever and gastrointestinal distress. Moreover, rodents are notorious for spreading the plague if humans consume food they have contaminated.
In Khan Yunis’ Mawasi area, 75-year-old Siham Miqdad expressed her shock at the size of the rodents in her tent after her home in Gaza’s Shati Camp was destroyed. “I saw an enormous rat—bigger than any I’ve ever seen. Since then, I’m constantly on edge, fearing they might harm the children. As if bombing, starvation, and suffering weren’t enough, now we have rats to worsen our plight.”
The rodents gnaw on clothes, winter blankets, and even flour bags. “We barely have enough to get by, and now they’re destroying it,” she exclaimed.
Piles of rubble across Gaza provide an ideal breeding ground for rodents, creating severe health and environmental hazards for displaced residents.
Growing concerns
In Deir al-Balah Camp in central Gaza, residents complain of an alarming rodent infestation in their homes and tents. Ghadah Abu Hajjaj described how rats disrupt her life daily: “I find at least one rat in my house every day. They’ve destroyed our blankets and food supplies. It’s unbearable.”
She called on local and international organizations to address the crisis, lamenting the compounded suffering of blockade, hunger, cold, and deprivation.
A source of contagious diseases
Dr. Abdul Rauf Al-Mana’ma, a public health expert, emphasized that rodents are a new and growing issue in Gaza’s displacement camps. “They contaminate food and cause significant material damage,” he said in a prior interview.
“Rodents eat everything humans consume, especially grains, but their real harm lies in the contamination they cause, destroying far more food than they consume,” he explained.
He warned that rodents are carriers of foodborne illnesses and infectious diseases such as the plague, spread through fleas on infected rodents, and Salmonella, which causes food poisoning. These bacteria transfer from rodent feces to food and surfaces.
Additionally, he noted that rodents may transmit hantavirus, which can cause severe respiratory infections and kidney failure, as well as leptospirosis (Weil’s disease), contracted through contact with water or soil contaminated by rodent urine.
A public health crisis
Gaza’s Ministry of Health has repeatedly warned of potential epidemics resulting from the accumulation of waste, decaying animal carcasses, lack of sanitation, and limited water supplies caused by the ongoing war. Widespread diseases in the region include skin infections, respiratory illnesses, and acute malnutrition, compounded by the systematic destruction of hospitals and health centers.
UNRWA sounds the alarm
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has also raised concerns about the spread of rodents and insects in Gaza, warning of the escalating health risks amid deteriorating conditions.
In a statement on the platform X, UNRWA stated, “Health conditions in Gaza are worsening day by day. Insects and rodents are spreading diseases, endangering public health.”
The agency added that its teams are working to support displaced families in shelters to prevent these pests from overrunning the overcrowded living spaces. However, details remain scarce on broader solutions to the crisis.
