Rats infest Gaza's tent camps, biting children and spreading disease
Rats are infesting tent camps in Gaza, biting children and spreading diseases amid deteriorating living conditions for displaced Palestinians. Overcrowded and unsanitary environments, caused by widespread destruction and restricted humanitarian aid, have enabled rodent populations to surge. Health officials warn of increasing disease risks as summer approaches and pest control supplies remain blocked.
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Rats infest Gaza’s tent camps, biting children and spreading diseaseSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxPalestinians walking past piles of garbage and waste near tents for displaced people, amid the spread of rodents, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 27.PHOTO: REUTERSPublished Apr 30, 2026, 05:58 PMUpdated Apr 30, 2026, 06:36 PMListenCAIRO/GAZA - Rats and parasites are spreading through Gaza’s tent camps for displaced Palestinians, biting children’s fingers and toes as they sleep, gnawing through people’s few remaining treasured possessions, and spreading disease.The outbreak is unfolding as most of Gaza’s more than 2 million people have been displaced, many now living in bombed-out homes and makeshift tents pitched on open ground, roadsides, or…
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