SAFA- The Director General of the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, stated that the Gaza Strip has recorded more than 58,000 cases of chickenpox since the beginning of 2026, noting that more than half of the cases are concentrated in Khan Younis Governorate.

Al-Bursh explained that the National Committee for Infectious Diseases considered the current situation an epidemic outbreak, necessitating an urgent and multi-sectoral intervention to limit the spread of the disease and control it.

He confirmed that the spread of the epidemic cannot be separated from the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, explaining that it is a direct result of "the massive overcrowding in displacement camps, the pollution of water sources, the collapse of sewage services, the accumulation of waste, and the lack of hygiene supplies."

These conditions, he said, have created a fertile ground for the spread of infectious diseases, particularly chickenpox and scabies, warning of the continued worsening of the health crisis given the shrinking capacity of the health sector to respond to the mounting need.