WHO warns Gaza health risks will worsen with winter rains

The World Health Organization warned that health risks in the Gaza Strip are expected to worsen significantly as winter and the rainy season approach. Most Palestinians currently live in harsh conditions while facing a severely strained healthcare system that struggles to cope with growing public health threats.

Reinheld van De Weerd, the WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, stated that water quality and contamination remain among the most serious public health threats. Residents continue to lack even the minimum amount of water needed for daily life, creating dangerous living conditions for vulnerable communities across the region.

WHO data showed that microbiological contamination in Gaza’s water supplies nearly tripled between January and August. After analyzing more than 6,700 water samples, the organization found that the share of contaminated samples rose from less than six percent in January to more than eighteen percent in August.

The deterioration in water quality has coincided with a sharp rise in acute diarrhea cases. Reported cases increased from around twenty seven thousand in March to more than forty eight thousand in August, underscoring the growing risks facing Palestinians living amid destroyed infrastructure and inadequate sanitation systems.

Heavy rainfall could flood displacement camps and carry sewage into areas where people sleep. The WHO called for permanent shelters, safe water access, and better waste management. Essential laboratory supplies remain barred from entering Gaza, limiting the capacity to identify and respond to potential disease outbreaks effectively.