The MoSD condemns the international community's inaction in allowing rodent control supplies into the Gaza Strip
Ramallah – The Ministry of Social Development has warned of a rapidly escalating health and environmental crisis in the Gaza Strip resulting from the unprecedented spread of rodents, including rats and other pests, in displacement camps and densely populated areas. The Ministry stressed that the situation poses a direct threat to the lives and safety of civilians, particularly children, older persons, women, persons with disabilities, and individuals with chronic illnesses.
The Ministry emphasized that the catastrophic humanitarian conditions facing Gaza’s population, coupled with the widespread destruction of infrastructure and essential services, have created an ideal environment for rodents to breed and spread extensively throughout displacement camps and shelters.
The Ministry explained that the destruction of nearly 80% of the waste collection vehicle fleet, combined with the accumulation of more than 350,000 tons of solid waste in streets and around displacement sites, as well as the destruction of sewage networks and the overflow of wastewater between tents, has significantly intensified environmental and public health risks.
The Ministry further noted that the continued presence of approximately 8,500 bodies trapped beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings, alongside millions of tons of debris scattered across the Gaza Strip, has contributed to creating fertile conditions for the rapid proliferation of rodents within residential areas and displacement camps, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks and epidemics.
According to the Ministry, approximately 1.45 million people living across 1,326 displacement sites are directly exposed to rodent-related health risks, including more than 680,000 children who are living in conditions that lack even the most basic health and environmental protection measures.
The Ministry added that health and humanitarian reports indicate that more than 70,000 cases associated with rodents, pests, and related environmental conditions have been recorded since the beginning of the year. These include approximately 17,000 direct cases resulting from bites, infections, and skin diseases, while children account for nearly 80% of all reported rodent-bite victims.
The Ministry pointed to field reports from Gaza documenting incidents in which children, infants, women, and older persons were directly attacked by rodents while sleeping inside tents and shelters, highlighting the severity of the threat facing the most vulnerable groups in society.
The Ministry stressed that the impact of rodents extends beyond health risks. Rodents are also damaging and tearing tents, contaminating food supplies and humanitarian aid, penetrating flour sacks and food packages, and destroying the limited personal belongings on which displaced families rely for their daily survival, thereby worsening food insecurity and living conditions.
The Ministry noted that municipalities and local authorities face significant challenges in addressing the problem due to severe shortages of equipment, machinery, and pest-control materials, as well as the lack of access to effective pesticides and rodenticides because of restrictions on their entry into Gaza. This has greatly limited the ability of relevant authorities to contain the spread of rodents and pests.
The Ministry warned that the continuation of these conditions, coupled with rising temperatures during the summer season, could lead to outbreaks of serious rodent-borne diseases, including Rat-Bite Fever, Leptospirosis, and a range of bacterial, viral, and skin infections, particularly in light of the severe collapse of the healthcare system and the acute shortage of medicines and medical supplies.
The Ministry renewed its call on the United Nations, international and humanitarian organizations, and donor partners to take urgent action to support humanitarian and environmental interventions in Gaza, including the provision of pest-control supplies, support for municipalities in removing waste and debris, rehabilitation of sewage systems, and the delivery of essential equipment and materials needed to protect civilians from escalating health risks.
The Ministry stressed that the situation in Gaza has evolved beyond an environmental or service-related crisis and has become a major public health and humanitarian disaster threatening the lives of more than 1.4 million people. It called for immediate international intervention to prevent further deterioration and to protect civilians—particularly children, women, older persons, and persons with disabilities—from expanding health and epidemic risks.