Palestinian activists on social media platforms documented a scene of a child in Gaza suffering from skin diseases, among other cases of children in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression for the 320th day.
The video clip shows the child Abed, his body covered in blisters, struggling to survive in displacement in tents in Deir al-Balah in the middle of the besieged Strip, with a lack of clean water, hygiene facilities, and healthcare.
Blisters cover a child’s body due to the outbreak of skin diseases in Gaza#video #Gaza_War pic.twitter.com/yruBvart98
— Al Jazeera Palestine (@AJA_Palestine) August 21, 2024
The ongoing war has left behind – in addition to tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded – an environmental situation described as catastrophic, with the spread of epidemics and the difficult health and living conditions experienced by the displaced in the besieged sector.
Al Jazeera correspondent: Skin diseases spread among displaced people in northern Gaza Strip due to lack of potable water pic.twitter.com/eAFrHqg5zv
— Al Jazeera Egypt (@AJA_Egypt) July 29, 2024
Earlier, Al Jazeera’s correspondent said that the spread of skin diseases among the displaced people in the northern Gaza Strip is increasing in light of the lack of clean drinking water.
Desalination plants have stopped working in the entire Gaza Strip for more than a month as a result of the occupation’s bombing and the halt in fuel supplies, which has forced residents to use polluted water, and has had an impact on the lives of children in the overcrowded shelters.
The World Health Organization indicated that until June 30, there were more than 100,000 cases of scabies and lice in the sector, 60,000 cases of skin rash, and 11,000 cases of chickenpox.
The organization also published a statement on July 19 and updated it with additional information on July 21, confirming the spread of the type 2 strain of poliovirus in Gaza, along with other health reports about the spread of diarrheal diseases and hepatitis A.