In the sweltering heat of summer, the reception area of Al-Awda Hospital in Gaza is crowded and chaotic. Medical staff struggle to maintain order as they contend with a dual health crisis on top of the ongoing conflict-related injuries.
“We currently have two outbreaks: hepatitis A and impetigo,” said a hospital official. “There are many complicated cases of hepatitis A presenting to the hospital. We are stretched thin with our resources to handle such a large number of cases.”
The emergency department is a scene of pandemonium. Children lie on the floor due to a lack of available beds. Their mothers, like Asma, who sits on her daughter Haya’s bed in a corridor, are desperate for treatment. “I was shocked when I found out that my daughter has hepatitis A,” Asma said. “She had stomach cramps and a high temperature for about three weeks. She’s very sick now, and doctors say her situation is dangerous. I believe her illness is due to the lack of cleaning materials and sanitation here in Gaza.”
Doctors are not only dealing with injuries from Israeli airstrikes but also with a surge in diseases such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, polio, and various skin infections like impetigo. The conditions fostering these outbreaks—overcrowding, poor hygiene, lack of clean water, and inadequate sanitation—highlight the broader humanitarian crisis.
“The reasons for these outbreaks are the same: overcrowding, lack of personal hygiene, lack of water, lack of everything—lack of life, safety, and dignity,” a doctor explained. “Ten months into this war, there is a seeming lack of will on behalf of the international community to put far more pressure on Israel to stop.”
As Gaza grapples with these simultaneous health crises, the need for international intervention and support becomes ever more urgent.