Displacement Tents in Gaza Turn Into Hotbeds of Infection

Palestine24: Residents of the Gaza Strip are no longer facing bombardment, displacement, and hunger alone. Disease has become a daily part of their suffering. In thousands of overcrowded tents sheltering displaced families, chickenpox is spreading rapidly, fueled by overcrowding, a lack of clean water, the inability to isolate infected people, and shortages of medicines—adding yet another health crisis to an already devastating humanitarian situation.

Inside a tent measuring only a few square meters in Al-Taawun displacement camp, established in the area formerly known as Al-Yarmouk Market in Gaza City, 41-year-old Hamdallah Salem Qannan lives with his seven-member family after all of them contracted chickenpox.

Qannan says the infection began with his youngest daughter, aged two, before quickly spreading to the entire family. He explains that the cramped conditions inside the tent made any attempt at isolation impossible.

“The rash, severe itching, high fever, and exhaustion affected everyone, and we had no choice but to live with the illness together inside the same tent,” he says.

The family’s suffering is not limited to the disease. Qannan says they are unable to obtain proper treatment because of severe medicine shortages. They depend on community kitchens for food and do not have enough water for bathing or sufficient hygiene supplies to help limit the spread of infection and ease its effects.

His greatest concern is that the disease could spread to other families in the camp amid overcrowding, high temperatures, and the proliferation of insects. He adds that the illness has also taken a heavy psychological toll on his children, who can no longer play or interact with their peers, while many people avoid approaching them out of fear of infection.

In the same displacement camp, 34-year-old Mahmoud Fayez Al-Masri is facing an equally difficult situation. Al-Masri suffered serious injuries during the war, including the removal of part of a lung as well as injuries to his heart, chest, and spine. He now finds himself unable to ease the suffering of his two-and-a-half-year-old son, Abdullah, who has been struggling with chickenpox for months.

Al-Masri says his son suffers from a painful rash and persistent itching, while limited attempts at treatment have failed to improve his condition. Two other children in the family also contracted the disease, although their symptoms were less severe.

“The hardest moments come at night, when the pain becomes worse and my child cannot sleep. I have nothing to offer him except to wait,” he says.

He explains that his son’s illness has intensified the psychological and financial pressures facing the family. His own health condition prevents him from working, while the family cannot afford the necessary treatment.

These two testimonies reflect the reality facing thousands of displaced families whose tents have become highly conducive environments for the spread of infectious diseases amid the continuing war and deteriorating health and environmental conditions.

According to medical sources, the Gaza Strip is experiencing a widespread chickenpox outbreak. Around 53,000 cases have been recorded since the beginning of the year. June and July saw an unprecedented increase, with more than 10,000 cases recorded every two weeks, compared with only 240 to 340 cases during typical periods.

Official data show that Khan Younis Governorate recorded the highest number of infections, with approximately 29,100 cases, followed by Gaza Governorate with around 14,000 cases and the Central Governorate with approximately 7,000. North Gaza Governorate recorded fewer than 1,000 cases.

The sharp increase has been attributed to severe overcrowding in more than 1,600 shelters housing over 1.7 million displaced people, combined with the difficulty of implementing isolation measures, shortages of clean water, deteriorating sanitation services, and malnutrition that has weakened people’s immune systems—all of which have created favorable conditions for the spread of infection.

Hospitals across the Gaza Strip continue daily epidemiological surveillance and awareness campaigns focusing on prevention and personal hygiene. However, health authorities say containing the spread of the disease remains extremely difficult under current displacement conditions and amid the collapse of the healthcare system.

Dr. Raed Abu Suraya, a dermatology consultant with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, says medical teams have observed an unprecedented rise in infections in recent months compared with previous years.

He attributes the increase to overcrowding in displacement sites, malnutrition, weakened immunity, and the collapse of environmental and health conditions. Children are particularly vulnerable, while the virus can spread easily through respiratory droplets or through contact with an infected person’s secretions and personal belongings.

Abu Suraya warns that the disease can lead to serious complications, including bacterial skin infections, pneumonia, kidney inflammation, and inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain, particularly among children and people with weakened immune systems.

He adds that Gaza is facing severe shortages of medicines used to treat chickenpox, forcing doctors to rely on less effective alternatives. At the same time, isolation is extremely difficult because of overcrowded shelters, while vaccines against the disease are unavailable.

Medical teams are also observing the spread of other skin and infectious diseases, including scabies and bacterial infections. Abu Suraya warns that if current conditions persist, Gaza could face new waves of infectious diseases unless health and humanitarian conditions improve.

He stresses the need to provide medicines, medical supplies, and personal hygiene products, as well as to establish appropriate isolation areas whenever possible. He also urges residents to seek medical care as soon as symptoms appear and to limit contact with infected individuals.

As Gaza’s residents struggle to survive amid the ongoing war, the spread of chickenpox has become another dimension of the worsening humanitarian crisis. Inside tents lacking safe water, sanitation, and adequate medical care, the disease is no longer simply a temporary health condition but a growing threat to thousands of children and families.

Health specialists say containing the outbreak will require more than treatment alone. It will also require improved shelter conditions, access to clean water and hygiene supplies, stronger primary healthcare services, and greater support for Gaza’s exhausted healthcare system.

As the war continues, concerns are growing that the chickenpox outbreak could be a precursor to the spread of other infectious diseases unless international organizations and humanitarian agencies act urgently to provide medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies and improve health conditions inside displacement shelters, protecting thousands of children and families facing disease amid one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises.