GAZA, 1 May 2026 –Plagues of rats, mice and insects have swarmed displacement sites in Gaza in recent weeks as temperatures rise, escalating health risks for about 1.4 million people living in overcrowded displacement sites, Save the Children said.[1]
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) said over 80% of more than 1,600 displacement sites assessed in mid-April reported rodents or pests frequently visible. Skin infections or rashes were reported in nearly two‑thirds of sites, lice in over 65%, and bedbugs in more than half. Children account for about 47% of Gaza’s population, meaning about 680,000 children - about two-thirds of all children in Gaza - are living in displacement sites plagued of rodents or pests.
Rodents are chewing through tents and contaminating food supplies with few safe storage facilities. Cases are likely to worsen as temperatures continue to rise.
Save the Children staff have spoken with families who are too afraid to sleep at night, worried their children will be bitten by rats - something that has been reported already this year. [2]
The Israeli military blockade of aid and commercial goods entering Gaza has left families unable to access pesticides to control the infestation. The rare times these items are in the market, the prices are unaffordable. As a result, families are resorting to often ineffective methods including trying to catch the animals using sticks or basic adhesive traps.
Gaza’s healthcare, water and sanitation systems have been decimated by more than two years of war, turning crowded displacement sites into breeding grounds for disease, surrounded by piles of rubble and garbage.
The growing number of rodents and pests is fuelled by the waste accumulation that has led to the spread of diseases like scabies, pneumonia and diarrhoea. Children, especially infants under five and those weakened by malnutrition, are more susceptible to such diseases.
Shurouq, Multimedia Manager Gaza, Save the Children:
“I am regularly seeing rats, rubbish and sewage all around me. I fear for my daughter's health living in these conditions. It makes my skin crawl and is no way to live a dignified life. As the weather warms, we fear this issue will only become worse and more terrifying and make our home a breeding ground for rats, pests and disease. It breaks my heart to see makeshift tents lining my entire route to work. These shelters are set up randomly on damaged infrastructure, leaving people constantly exposed to risks from sewage, animals, and rodents.
“The health and sanitation systems in Gaza are destroyed. Raw sewage runs through the streets when it rains and is regularly pumped into the sea. I struggle to find water and people have no choice but to fish and swim in the sea so they are putting themselves at risk.”
Save the Children is calling for uninterrupted humanitarian access at all times and ensure humanitarian needs are met. Israel, as the occupying power, has an additional obligation to ensure the humanitarian needs of the occupied population are met. The "ceasefire plan" is failing its humanitarian provisions. Israel must urgently lift the siege and ensure all border crossings are open and fully operational, aid restrictions are lifted, and services resumed so homes, schools, water and sanitation systems and lives can finally be rebuilt.
Save the Children staff are supporting children in Gaza with psychosocial support services and child friendly spaces where children can play, learn and connect with other children. The child rights organisation is also providing health, nutrition and water and sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to communities in Gaza, which includes critical provisions of clean water and hygiene promotion activities.
Save the Children has worked in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953, with a permanent presence since 1973. We work with partners to help provide quality education, protection for children, early childhood development support, and employment opportunities for young people.
ENDS
Sources:
[1] According to an OCHA sitrep, between 7 and 13 April, an alert system managed by the Site Management Cluster (SMC) across displacement sites indicated that rodents or pests were frequently visible in 1,326 of the 1,644 assessed sites (81%), affecting about 1.45 million people. Using the share of children in Gaza, 47%, this equals approximately 680,500 children, or two in three children. Humanitarian Situation Report | 17 April 2026 | United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory
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