Alarming Spread of Skin Diseases Among Gaza's Children

AFP, Deir El-Balah, Palestinian Territories

More than 150,000 people in the Gaza Strip have contracted skin diseases due to the squalid living conditions they have faced since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war in October, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Children in Gaza are particularly susceptible to diseases because their immune systems are weakened by malnutrition, according to a coordinator from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Her son, covered in red and white blotches on his feet, legs, and under his T-shirt, is just one of many Gazans suffering from a range of skin conditions including scabies, chickenpox, lice, impetigo, and other severe rashes.

According to the WHO, over 150,000 people in Gaza have been afflicted by skin diseases since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7. Elwan, whose family is among the thousands living on a sandy strip near the sea close to Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, lamented the dire conditions. “We cannot bathe our children as we used to. There are no hygiene products or sanitary supplies to keep the place clean. There’s nothing.”

The WHO has documented 96,417 cases of scabies and lice, 9,274 cases of chickenpox, 60,130 cases of skin rashes, and 10,038 cases of impetigo since the conflict began.

Pharmacist Sami Hamid, who runs a temporary clinic in the Deir al-Balah camp, reported that scabies and chickenpox are particularly rampant. He noted that the lack of clean water and the hot weather exacerbates skin conditions.

Mohammed Abu Mughaiseeb, MSF’s medical coordinator in Gaza, highlighted that children’s natural behavior—playing outside, touching, and eating things without washing—makes them especially vulnerable to infections. “People are not living in houses anymore; there is no proper hygiene,” he said, adding that hot weather increases the likelihood of sweat and dirt causing rashes and infections.

MSF doctors are concerned about the potential emergence of other skin conditions, such as leishmaniasis, which can be fatal in its most severe form. Abu Mughaiseeb warned that Gaza’s children are already highly vulnerable due to compromised immune systems from malnutrition.

At a makeshift school recently visited by Hamid and his team, 24 out of 150 students had scabies. Other diseases have also surged in the camps for displaced persons, driven by poor hygiene conditions. The WHO has reported 485,000 cases of diarrhea. Hamid pointed out that the primitive toilets drain into channels among the tents, which significantly contributes to the spread of infections and epidemics.

The United Nations reported on Tuesday that 1.9 million people are now displaced in Gaza out of a total population of about 2.4 million.

The conflict began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Israel's retaliatory actions have resulted in the deaths of at least 37,925 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas.