Gaza's Displaced Children Battle Worsening Skin Disease Crisis in Tent Camps

Children sheltering in Gaza's tent camps are confronting a worsening wave of skin diseases as late-summer heat, limited clean water and overcrowded conditions accelerate infections, health workers say.

More than 125,000 cases of skin diseases and parasitic infestations were recorded across the Gaza Strip between the start of the year and May 21, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Eight-year-old Shahd Al-Basous has lived in a tent with her family for three years. A rash that began three months ago has since spread across her body, she said, describing constant pain and itching.

"Before the war, we lived in a house. We had fans and electricity, but now everything has changed," she said. "I've got allergy, and the rash hurts all over my body. It has grown worse, and I can barely stand it."

Her mother said the condition deteriorated sharply as temperatures and humidity rose. "Before summer, the rash affected only a small area. But as the weather got hotter and more humid, it became much worse and rapidly spread across her whole body," she said. "She scratches constantly, sometimes until she bleeds."

Shahd's case reflects conditions faced by many displaced children. An April assessment by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found that people in about half of Gaza's displacement sites had been affected by skin diseases.

Health workers warn that food insecurity, scarce clean water, poor sanitation and crowded shelters worsen skin conditions and raise the risk of infection. Children are especially vulnerable, and without timely care, rashes and lesions can develop into bacterial infections.

"We are working tirelessly to contain these diseases and prevent them from turning into a catastrophic public health crisis in Gaza. But we face multiple obstacles, above all the acute shortage of medicines," said Dr. Abdullah Rabah, a dermatologist in Gaza.

Mohammad Abu Afash, director of Medical Relief in Gaza, said this week that stocks of 45 types of medicines had been depleted, while hospitals faced a 54 percent shortage of medical supplies.

For Shahd and other displaced children, cooler weather may bring some relief from the heat, but treatment remains difficult while poor living conditions and medical shortages persist.