Palestinian Health warns of new health disaster in Gaza

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed the presence of the polio virus in the sewage water that collects between the tents of the displaced, warning of a health disaster that threatens the danger of thousands being infected with this disease.

The ministry's statement on Thursday said: "The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announces that sewage samples were tested in coordination with UNICEF, and the results showed the presence of the polio virus."

The statement added: "The presence of the polio virus in the sewage water that collects and runs between the tents of the displaced and in the places where the population resides as a result of the destruction of the infrastructure represents a new health disaster, as there is severe crowding, scarcity of available water, pollution with sewage, accumulation of tons of garbage, and the occupation preventing the entry of cleaning materials, which creates a suitable environment for the spread of various epidemics."

The ministry warned that "detecting the polio virus in sewage water heralds a real health disaster and exposes thousands of people to the risk of contracting polio."

The ministry called for "an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression, the provision of usable water, the repair of sewage lines, and the end of overcrowding in displacement sites."

Palestinian doctors in the Gaza Strip warned of the increased spread of diseases and epidemics among the displaced in camps and shelters, due to the crowding of large numbers of displaced people in narrow spaces.

The Director of the Government Media Office in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Thawabta, confirmed that Israel is deliberately exacerbating the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, as it has destroyed the water and sewage networks in most areas of the Strip , while all the crossings in the Strip are closed, and there is no entry of aid.