Deteriorating sanitation leads to festering wounds and maggot infestations in Gaza, further exacerbating its humanitarian predicament.
"The individual in question is afflicted with severe burns, covering around 80% to 90% of his body, according to Dr. Mahmoud Yousef Mughani, a burns and reconstructive surgery specialist. Due to a scarcity of sanitization tools, his wounds can't be sufficiently cleaned.
Upon changing his bandages, maggots make an appearance on the floor. This occurrence is consistent, Dr. Mughani mentioned.
There's nowhere else for this individual to turn. Per the United Nations, approximately 12,000 patients are eager to depart Gaza to obtain necessary, urgent medical care. However, medical evacuations have been put on hold since the shutdown of the Rafah crossing with Egypt four months ago.
This predicament exemplifies the worsening health conditions for the Palestinians confined in the besieged domain following 11 months of conflict, both in and outside hospitals.
Even though the initiative to immunize Gaza's children against polio continues, the United Nations and aid organizations caution about deteriorating public health circumstances.
On a certain day in September, UNRWA, the UN body charged with the Palestinian territories, shared on their platform: 'While we inoculate children against polio, numerous other diseases persist spreading in Gaza.'
'Mountains of waste grow taller next to tents & living spaces. Sewage keeps flooding the streets. Access to hygiene products is becoming increasingly restricted. Sanitary conditions are inhumane,' UNRWA asserted.
Last week, the UN Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that limited access to clean water and sanitation facilities, coupled with the scarcity of affordable hygiene products, was exacerbating Gaza's public health emergency.
In July, the cost of soap supposedly increased by nearly 1,200% throughout the strip compared to the year prior, with the price of shampoo rising almost 500% in the same timeframe, according to OCHA.
'Humanitarian organizations have been endeavoring to provide hundreds of thousands of hygiene kits to individuals in need, but these efforts continue to be hindered by ongoing conflicts, access limitations, absence of public order and security, and evacuation orders issued by Israeli authorities,' OCHA declared.
Families forced from their homes encounter immense challenges in maintaining basic hygiene in crowded shelters and displacement sites, the agency explained, while crucial facilities, such as health centers, communal kitchens, child-protection spaces, nutrition centers, and schools, lack the necessary resources to ensure safe and sanitary conditions. This situation likely worsens during the winter.
Selling homemade cleaning supplies
Some residents have chosen to concoct soap and cleaning agents and market them.
Mohammed Al-Taweel manages a stand at a market in Deir Al-Balah. He informed CNN on Sunday: 'People began to request detergents more, and we commenced producing these products in higher quantities.'
'There is no alternative. There is simply nothing that can be procured. There is nothing ready-made. Everything is shuttered,' Al-Taweel stated.
However, he expresses concern that the raw materials may expire within the coming days.
'Previously, the readymade product was affordable and readily available, but now everything is expensive... People grumble,' he shared.
'The shampoo costs 15 shekels ($4). Previously, we used to sell it for 10 shekels.'
Ghada Shahoura, a woman searching for cleaning supplies at the market, told CNN: 'The shortage of cleaning supplies is pervasive. We are compelled to purchase local cleaning supplies.'
But she mentioned that these items are often subpar and exorbitantly priced.
'We confront epidemics and high infection rates, parasites and fungal infections in children. There is no hygiene,' Shahoura claimed.
UN agencies and partners are working to restore wells that were damaged by conflict in late August in Deir Al-Balah, which decreased groundwater production by 75%. Eight wells were heavily damaged, of which four remain unrepairable at present, OCHA said.
As of this month, daily clean water production in the enclave is just 25% of the pre-war level, OCHA announced, citing organizations involved in public health in Gaza.
The volume of water delivered via trucking operations doubled between August 19 and September 1. Nevertheless, it remains significantly lower than well production – and transportation has been hindered by fuel shortages and persistent traffic congestion in the AlMawasi area, where thousands of internally displaced reside."
Given the current scarcity of sanitization tools in Gaza, the world overlooks the Middle East, where 12,000 patients urgently need medical evacuations, but are unable to leave due to the closure of the Rafah crossing for four months. As a result, residents like Mohammed Al-Taweel have started selling homemade cleaning supplies, as the price of store-bought products has skyrocketed, reaching nearly 1,200% for soap and 500% for shampoo since last year, according to OCHA.
