Gaza has seen a significant rise in chickenpox cases amid ongoing conflict and severe overcrowding in displaced persons camps, health officials and aid workers report. The outbreak has emerged in the context of deteriorating living conditions, with families forced into cramped tents lacking access to clean water and basic hygiene supplies.
Eight-year-old Ruba Saadeh, who lives with her family in one such camp, is among the many children afflicted by the highly contagious illness. Her sister Alaa, 19, described the challenges they face in trying to care for Ruba. “The doctor told us she needs daily cleaning and should be isolated for 20 days,” Alaa said. “But how can we isolate her? We all live in one tent.” The crowded environment makes effective quarantine nearly impossible.
Health authorities have recorded over 9,300 suspected chickenpox cases throughout Gaza as of early July, with Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip identified as a hotspot due to its dense population and large numbers of displaced families. UNICEF highlighted that the region’s congestion, where families are often sheltering in extremely close quarters, is driving the outbreak.
Raed Abdel Karim Abu Sariya, a dermatologist with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, emphasized that isolation is critical to preventing the spread of chickenpox, which transmits through respiratory droplets. However, he noted that in tents housing up to 20 people in a small space, separating the sick from others is virtually unfeasible.
Conditions in the camps further complicate disease control. Stagnant, polluted water and limited access to clean supplies exacerbate health risks. Alaa Saadeh explained that water is provided only once a week, and it is often saline and unsuitable for hygiene needs. The family also struggles to obtain necessary cleaning products, a problem common among displaced Gaza residents given widespread unemployment and poverty resulting from years of conflict.
The outbreak highlights broader public health crises in Gaza, including rising rates of respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, skin conditions, and infestations such as fleas and scabies. International agencies report that more than half of households in affected areas are reporting skin diseases, and hospitalizations among children are increasing at a time when Gaza’s health infrastructure is nearing collapse.
The protracted conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas has severely damaged Gaza’s medical system, with targeted strikes on healthcare facilities contributing to shortages of staff, medicines, and equipment. Aid groups stress that these health emergencies cannot be resolved without addressing the fundamental causes of displacement and inadequate shelter.
Louise Wateridge, a spokeswoman for UNICEF, called for urgent humanitarian access and support. “There has to be space for people to live and not to be sleeping on the floor, not to be sleeping among these rodents,” she said, underscoring the need for improved living conditions alongside increased medical supplies to halt the spread of disease in Gaza’s vulnerable communities.