International health and sanitation networks are growing increasingly alarmed about the public health risks posed by potential floods in the Gaza Strip in the coming months. Israeli attacks have displaced many residents to areas near potential flooding hotspots, and the number of these high-risk zones has likely increased due to mass destruction. Currently, nearly half of Gaza’s health facilities are located in areas at risk of flooding, according to the Global WASH Cluster.
Without an immediate ceasefire and reconstruction, floods will almost certainly lead to the spread of waterborne and vector-borne diseases, as well as an increased risk of snakebites and worsening mental health conditions, the network warned.
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Meanwhile, Israel continues to obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid, which could help to at least partially alleviate some of these public health concerns. United Nations (UN) agencies declared August 2024 as the worst month for humanitarian efforts to Gaza since January, with 46% of planned missions either delayed or blocked by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). For instance, at the end of August, a shipment of 10,000 vaccines, 58 pallets of medicine, and 24,000 liters of fuel was halted as the IOF held up humanitarian staff and vehicles, citing a broken checkpoint gate as the reason for the delay.
These obstructions are worsening Gaza’s already dire health situation. The few remaining hospitals and health centers are running out of essential medicines, supplies, blood units, and even the spare parts needed to keep generators functioning. Without urgent deliveries, all hospital generators could stop working by early October, according to warnings by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Hospital bed capacity is also low, with only 1,501 beds available, including maternity and intensive care units, across all hospitals. An additional 600 beds are available in field facilities, which offer some relief but cannot match the capacity of a fully functional hospital system. Some of the organizations coordinating field units stated they could not expand in-patient capacities due to restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities and ongoing security concerns, opting to provide outpatient consultations until the situation improves.
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Doctors Without Borders (MSF) estimates that at least 4,000 people already require reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation in the wake of Israeli attacks. However, medical evacuations remain severely restricted by Israeli authorities, preventing patients from accessing available care in nearby countries like Jordan. Those who are eventually evacuated display severe symptoms of acute stress, including flashbacks and difficulties coping with the trauma they have endured since October 7 last year.
“This is not a normal trauma. This is a huge, tormenting catastrophe, and psychologically their minds are unable to bear all of this stress,” said psychiatrist Ahmad Mahmoud Al Salem, who treats medical evacuees in Amman, in a conversation with MSF.
The same level of trauma is present among patients and health workers still in Gaza. Atef Mohammed Al-Hout, director of Nasser Hospital, described this psychological and emotional toll to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). Al-Hout described witnessing his hospital’s medical team being arrested, tied up, stripped, and left on the floor by Israeli forces. “It was the most difficult moment of my life. I saw it with my eyes and still cannot unsee it.”
People’s Health Dispatch is a fortnightly bulletin published by the People’s Health Movement and Peoples Dispatch. For more articles and to subscribe to People’s Health Dispatch, click here.
