As Gaza enters its twentieth month of war, residents now face a new form of suffering: relentless swarms of mosquitoes. With infrastructure destroyed, sewage flooding the streets, and summer heat rising, mosquito infestations have exploded, turning nights into another battle for survival.
In the past, municipalities sprayed insecticides to prevent outbreaks, but the war has stopped these efforts. Fuel shortages, bombed sewage systems, and a collapse in municipal services have left stagnant water and trash to fester, creating ideal breeding grounds for insects.
“In our tents, the nights are unbearable,” says Abu Musa, who was displaced to a camp in Nuseirat. “The bites don’t let anyone sleep—children, the elderly, no one is spared.”
Mosquitoes now swarm through shelters housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people without nets or repellents. With no way to protect themselves, families spend sleepless nights battling the insects.
Health officials warn that the crisis is more than just an annoyance. Mosquitoes are now spreading diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and leishmaniasis. Gaza’s doctors report thousands of cases of rashes, scabies, and infections linked to the worsening sanitation crisis.
Local authorities and aid workers are sounding the alarm, calling for urgent international assistance. “We’ve lost the tools to fight this,” says municipal spokesperson Husni Mehanna. “Waste is piling up, sewage can’t be drained, and insecticides are blocked from entering Gaza.”
Without intervention, this growing health emergency will continue to threaten the lives and well-being of Gaza’s already devastated population.
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