Palestinians walk near tents along a street covered with stagnant wastewater and trash in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. In July 2024, Polio was detected in samples of sewage and wastewater in Gaza. Health officials have declared a polio epidemic and have warned of devastating consequences if the virus spreads. (Photo: Omar Ashtawy, APA Images)
Sewage water is flowing in most of the streets of the Gaza Strip. Mountains of garbage are piling up next to crowded refugee camps and shelters. In some areas of the strip, children can be found rummaging through the piles of trash in search of food or scraps that their family can use.
Due to Israel’s targeting and destruction of Gaza’s water and sewage networks, millions of Palestinians in the crowded Strip have nowhere to dispose of waste other than the street. And with the total collapse of municipal and sanitation services, there is no one to collect the waste. The sanitation workers who try to reach the dumps near the border to dispose of waste are targeted by the Israeli military.
The families who live in tents near the piles of garbage and waste have to worry about more than just the putrid smells of hot, rotting garbage. Many, particularly children, have become afflicted with various rashes and unexplained skin conditions.
For months the Gaza Ministry of Health and other international public health agencies have warned of the spread of diseases due to the lack of clean water and untreated sewage in the streets. In mid-July, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, the Gaza health ministry conducted an analysis of samples of sewage water in the Gaza Strip, and found the presence of poliomyelitis, or as it is more commonly known, the polio virus.