Oxfam warns of disease outbreaks in Gaza

Oxfam has issued a stark warning about the deteriorating situation in Gaza, as critical water and sanitation infrastructure continues to be destroyed by Israeli forces. 

Alongside overcrowding, malnutrition, and soaring temperatures, these conditions are pushing Gaza towards a potentially deadly epidemic outbreak, the aid agency cautioned. 

More than 350,000 people have been displaced by the recent Israeli invasion of Rafah, exacerbating already dire living conditions in overcrowded shelters and camps, with diminishing food and fuel supplies due to closed border crossings.

UNICEF's analysis indicates that 87 percent of critical water and sanitation facilities in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged, further exacerbating the crisis.

Oxfam’s Middle East Director, Sally Abi Khalil, said: “The situation is desperate, with so many people in Gaza living in fear and being forced to endure inhumane and unsanitary conditions caused by sustained Israeli bombardment. One colleague told me there was so much human waste in the streets, it literally smelt like disease.