Health officials in Gaza have warned that further mass displacement from Gaza City could unleash a health disaster, threatening the lives of tens of thousands of children. Severe overcrowding, collapsing infrastructure, and the absence of basic medical and sanitary services have already created conditions ripe for the spread of epidemics.

Ayman Al-Fara, head of preventive medicine at the Ministry of Health, said the situation has reached alarming levels, with 100 cases of polio and 10 related deaths recorded in the past two months. Seasonal influenza is spreading rapidly through overcrowded shelters where thousands live in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces without access to clean water or hygiene. Malnutrition and lack of medicines have left children particularly vulnerable, with at least 60,000 now at direct risk of epidemics.

The latest wave of displacement comes as Israeli bombardments intensify across Gaza City, particularly in the eastern and northern neighbourhoods. Entire families have been forced westward, where already overcrowded areas are now unable to absorb the influx of tens of thousands more people. Health experts warn that unless urgent international intervention arrives, the collapse of the health system will push Gaza into an uncontrollable humanitarian catastrophe.