The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning that the imminent rainy season threatens to exacerbate an already severe public health crisis in the Gaza Strip. Most residents are currently living in crowded tent camps surrounded by debris and overflowing sewage, conditions that are expected to worsen with the anticipated rainfall.

Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, the WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, highlighted a marked decline in water quality in Gaza over recent months. Testing of approximately 6,700 water samples between January and August 2026 revealed a near tripling of microbiological contamination rates, rising from under 6% at the start of the year to more than 18% in August. Van de Weerdt noted that due to limited laboratory capacity within Gaza, these figures likely underestimate the extent of contamination. Concurrently, cases of acute watery diarrhoea have surged sharply, nearly doubling from around 27,000 in March to over 48,000 in August.

Since the outbreak of hostilities following Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, the region has faced a devastating humanitarian and health emergency. Despite a US-supported ceasefire implemented in October 2025, violence persists, and Israel continues to enforce stringent restrictions on the import of goods, including medical supplies and fuel. In April, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) accused Israel of leveraging water access as a weapon, citing data from the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank indicating that nearly 90% of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure had been damaged or destroyed. Israel rejected these allegations at the time.

Van de Weerdt expressed grave concern about the incoming winter season, emphasizing that a majority of Gaza’s population remains housed in makeshift, overcrowded tents surrounded by large piles of waste and sewage overflow. She warned that flooding could spread contaminated water and waste into living areas where people eat, sleep, and care for family members, increasing the risk of disease transmission. Additionally, stagnant water could create breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pests while promoting mold growth inside shelters.

Despite the dire conditions, Van de Weerdt stressed that it is not too late to avert a large-scale public health disaster. She urged for unrestricted and expedited delivery of humanitarian aid, including materials for permanent shelter construction and improvements in water supply and waste management. Enhanced laboratory supplies are also needed to better identify disease causes and enable more effective response efforts.