‘All these rashes’: Chickenpox surges in Gaza’s overcrowded, filthy camps
We all live in one tent.”UNICEF said health officials had already recorded more than 9,300 suspected cases of chickenpox across Gaza in early July, concentrated mainly concentrated mainly in Khan Younis in the south.“That’s the most densely-populated area in the Gaza Strip... My father is unemployed, and we cannot afford to buy cleaning materials,” Alaa said.Can’t sleep ‘among rodents’For families like the Saadehs, even basic precautions have become luxuries.“What did we do to deserve living like this?“ Ruba demanded. “We have all these rashes.”“I used to shower every day,” she said.
- ▪We all live in one tent.”UNICEF said health officials had already recorded more than 9,300 suspected cases of chickenpox across Gaza in early July, concentrated mainly concentrated mainly in Khan Younis in the south.“That’s the most densely
- ▪My father is unemployed, and we cannot afford to buy cleaning materials,” Alaa said.Can’t sleep ‘among rodents’For families like the Saadehs, even basic precautions have become luxuries.“What did we do to deserve living like this?“ Ruba dem
- ▪“We have all these rashes.”“I used to shower every day,” she said.
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‘All these rashes’: Chickenpox surges in Gaza’s overcrowded, filthy campsSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxA displaced Palestinian girl suffering from chickenpox stands next to her mother inside the family's tent in Khan Younis. PHOTO: AFPPublished Jul 21, 2026, 03:14 PMUpdated Jul 21, 2026, 03:14 PMSet as preferred sourceSummariseChickenpox has surged in Gaza’s overcrowded camps, with over 9,300 suspected cases reported due to cramped living conditions and lack of clean water.Families struggle to isolate infected members and maintain hygiene as they live in small tents with scarce water and cleaning supplies.Gaza’s damaged healthcare system is overwhelmed, with rising infections and calls for urgent aid and solutions to the root causes of poor living conditions.AI…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Straits Times.