Thread by @AmnestyIsrael

The winter weather is hitting the Gaza Strip, and the numerous refugees and displaced persons residing in densely populated tent camps are particularly suffering, due to the floods.

The heart-wrenching scenes of elderly women wrapped in tattered plastic sheets, images of inundated tents, shivering children, and drenched infants are already causing alarm both locally and globally.

The dire situation in Gaza has dramatically deteriorated since the onset of the war. Poor sanitation and overcrowding, especially during winter, may lead to various diseases that can rapidly spread and become epidemics.

Recent studies and reports by public health experts from international organizations indicate a genuine and verified risk of epidemic outbreaks in Gaza, including respiratory, skin, and gastrointestinal diseases.

There is a growing concern that this could be just the beginning. The evident and imminent risk is a quick escalation into an irreversible humanitarian catastrophe. With Gaza’s health system already on the verge of collapse, this poses a grave danger.

According to international humanitarian law, Israel has both a moral and legal responsibility to ensure adequate living conditions for the population under its effective military control.

Furthermore, an uncontrolled epidemic not only endangers the Gazan refugees, but also poses a threat to the Israeli hostages. Such epidemics may also spread into Israel.

Therefore, Israel must prevent this looming disaster and take accountability for the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Even immediate action may already be too late.

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