WHO Warns of Looming Health Disaster in Gaza as Winter Rains Approach Amid Water Contamination

Displaced Palestinians fetch water at a shelter camp in Bureij, central Gaza Strip [File: AFP]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning that the upcoming winter and cold rains will drastically intensify the severe public health crisis already gripping the embattled Gaza Strip.

According to the United Nations health agency, recent water testing highlights a sharp decline in water quality across the Palestinian enclave, accompanied by a significant surge in diarrhea cases as winter draws near.

Much of Gaza remains devastated and under blockade following Israel’s war, leaving vast portions of the population without adequate shelter and struggling with non-functional infrastructure.

“Whilst we fail to provide people with the minimum quantities of water, water quality and water contamination remains a major issue,” stated Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories.

She warned that potential flooding from winter rains could push sewage, waste, and contaminated water directly into areas where citizens sleep, cook, and care for their families.

Data from approximately 6,700 water samples tested during the first eight months of the year revealed that microbiological contamination nearly tripled, climbing from under six percent in January to over 18 percent in August, Van de Weerdt reported to journalists in Geneva while speaking from Gaza.

In addition, acute diarrhea cases have nearly doubled since March, surging from approximately 27,000 to more than 48,000 cases.

Despite the grim outlook, the WHO official emphasized that a broader public health catastrophe can still be averted through the unimpeded and expedited delivery of humanitarian supplies.

She stressed the critical need for materials required for permanent shelter, sustainable water provisions, and effective waste management, alongside urgent laboratory supplies to diagnose disease causes and manage outbreaks.

Previously, Doctors Without Borders accused Israel of utilizing water access as a weapon in Gaza, citing data from the United Nations, European Union, and World Bank showing that nearly 90 percent of the territory's water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged.