Displaced Palestinians Fear Spread of Disease Due to Lack of Hygiene Facilities
(AWP) - Displaced Palestinians in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, complained of “lack of cleanliness” at the refugee camps, and fear diseases and epidemics could spread.
Israel’s sustained war on the Gaza Strip has caused the displacement of nearly two million Palestinians from northern to southern Gaza, primarily in Rafah and Khan Younes.
Palestinians in Gaza said that public lavatories in the camps are few and dirty, and they have to wait in long lines to use them.
“There is one lavatory for the men and another for the women. We stand in line to use it. There is no water, so we feel we cannot get properly clean,” a displaced Palestinian woman said.
“Sometimes, a woman has to wait in line along with 20 others. The lack of hygiene could cause diseases to spread,” she added.
Ahmed Obeid, another displaced Palestinian, said, “There is no toilet or potable water, nor any other basics of life here. As the lines are long, we have no other option but to relieve ourselves in the open, in the cold, with no water or toilet paper available. There are no basic necessities of life here at all.”
Health officials in Gaza have warned that diseases like cholera could spread due to the lack of water and the waste accumulating in areas where people reside.