'If we sleep they bite': Rats and weasels infest camps for displaced Gazans
Displaced families in Gaza are facing a growing public health crisis as rats and weasels infest overcrowded camps, biting children and spreading disease. The infestation is fueled by piles of uncollected rubbish, damaged sanitation systems, and raw sewage running through camps. Aid agencies warn that a large-scale cleanup and reconstruction effort is urgently needed but is hampered by restricted access and supply limitations.
- ▪Rodents or pests are frequently visible in 80% of sites housing displaced families, affecting about 1.45 million people.
- ▪A newborn baby and several children have been bitten by rodents, and one grandmother lost parts of her toes to rat bites.
- ▪The UN and aid agencies are calling for a large-scale campaign to manage waste, rubble, and sewage in Gaza.
- ▪Sanitation infrastructure, including pipes and treatment facilities, has been destroyed and remains unrepaired.
- ▪Israel restricts the entry of certain materials into Gaza, citing concerns they could be used by Hamas to build weapons.
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'If we sleep they bite': Rats and weasels infest camps for displaced Gazans8 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleYolande KnellMiddle East correspondent, JerusalemRat bites newborn baby's face as Gaza infested by rodents"We woke up to the sound of her screaming at 2am," Samah al-Daabla, the mother of four-year-old Mayaseen, tells the BBC."When my husband turned on the torch, the weasel ran away. I looked at my daughter's hand, and it was all blood. Everything was bloody."In the Gaza Strip, left devastated by war, the daily battles are now with rats, urban weasels and other pests spreading diseases.Aid workers are calling for urgent steps to counter a public health crisis.Cogat, the Israeli defence body that controls Gaza's crossings, says it is working with international…
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