The United Nations recently reported that most Palestinians in Gaza are living steps away from open sewage or human waste, and the strip is overflowing with garbage and rubble. Disease is spreading rapidly, and humanitarian groups and some lawmakers are redoubling demands for the U.S. to pressure Israel to ease overcrowding and stop blocking aid.
Dire conditions for those living in Gaza have persisted despite the 2025 agreement brokered by the Trump administration between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. An assessment cited by the U.N. in early April found that 60 percent of Gaza’s population was exposed to sewage or human waste within about 10 yards of their shelters, while more than 900,000 Palestinians were exposed to accumulated garbage in residential areas.
Data gathered July 19-25 by the World Health Organization suggested the two top health problems among Palestinians — acute respiratory infections and acute diarrhea — stemmed from poor conditions of water, sanitation and hygiene, also known by the acronym WASH. The U.N. also reported “significant” numbers of skin disease cases driven by clean water shortages. A U.N. WASH report earlier in July said 86 percent of households struggle to access a toilet or latrine, while 17 percent have observed open defecation. And the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem reported this summer “an extreme outbreak of rats and pests” in camps packed with displaced families, noting the link to garbage overflow, cesspits and rodent-borne disease.