Gaza’s health landscape is sliding into a critical phase, with environmental collapse now fuelling the rapid spread of serious illnesses. Medical officials warn that living conditions across the territory have deteriorated to such an extent that preventable diseases are re-emerging, transforming everyday survival into a public health emergency closely tied to the ongoing genocidal war.

Clinics have reported a sharp rise in seasonal influenza and other respiratory infections in recent months, a trend attributed to widespread malnutrition, weakened immunity and the absence of even basic preventive care. More alarming still is the appearance of meningitis cases at the start of the year, a disease rarely associated with stable health systems. For doctors on the ground, these infections are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a system stripped of its capacity to protect the population.

Overcrowded displacement areas have become breeding grounds for disease. Families are crammed into makeshift shelters and tents that offer no protection from cold, damp or contamination. Access to clean water is severely limited, while sewage networks have largely ceased to function, allowing waste to accumulate in residential zones. Piles of uncollected rubbish now sit amid densely populated areas, intensifying health risks, particularly for children and older people.

Health professionals caution that the convergence of these factors creates ideal conditions for a wider outbreak if the current trajectory continues. They stress that without urgent external support, including medical supplies, preventive materials, and the restoration of water and sanitation services, the territory could face an uncontrollable epidemic. This warning comes as Gaza struggles to recover amid the devastation of civilian infrastructure and the mass displacement of nearly the entire population, realities inseparable from the broader genocidal war shaping life in the Strip.