'The rats are like a storm': Palestinians seeking refuge in rubble struggle with rodent infestations

Rats skitter among the tents at the Yarmouk arena in Gaza urban center. It's darkness and they're firmly to see, but their fast movements tip over piles of garbage and send residents of the tents into a frenzy. 

Palestinians displaced after Israeli airstrikes have sought refuge amid the rubble of the stadium, pitching tents made of tarps near a garbage dump.

Those sheltering in the tents say large black rats run through them and sit on people as they sleep, sometimes biting them and leading to the spread of disease. 

Subh said he was treated in hospital for his wounds from rat bites.

The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs says two million Palestinians in Gaza are still displaced despite a fragile ceasefire in October between Israel and Hamas, and many remain in tents around the enclave. 

But with so much of the Gaza Strip destroyed, aid groups say prime conditions have developed for rat infestations, leaving families struggling and suffering from diseases the rodents can spread. 

In April, the United Nations reported that there were more than 70,000 cases of "ectoparasitic" infestations — or incidents where bugs or pests burrow under human skin and cause itching or infections — since the beginning of the year. 

The report also noted that "more than 80 per cent of displacement sites reported rodents or pests frequently visible, along with skin infections such as scabies, lice and bedbugs." 

The U.S. Centers for Disease control says rats can spread hantavirus, Leptospirosis and rat-bite fever among other health issues for humans.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza, said that in recent weeks it has allowed the entry of about 82 tonnes of pest control materials and more than 1,000 mousetraps into the enclave.

That action was part of what it said was an effort with "all actors and international partners" to address the sanitation problem.

Kifah Subh, 38, says she's tried sticking the tarp forming her tent firmly to the ground and using traps and poison, but nothing is working. The mother of seven holds up an unused trap and says any effort she puts into fighting the infestation is for nothing. 

Rats and parasites infesting Gaza’s tent camps

"The fear and terror in us is enough…. No one is able to fight these rats and rodents at night." 

Dr. Ayman Abu Rahma of the Gaza Health Ministry told AlJazeera last month that Gaza is a "health hazard environment." 

He says there's been an increase in emergency and primary care cases resulting from rat bites, particularly in children and the elderly. 

"The accumulation of waste, limited means of disposal and the collapse of the sewage system have all contributed to worsening conditions." 

Onyeke also said the enclave still struggles with large amounts of debris, "some of which may still contain unrecovered bodies," which make the situation worse. 

Pesticides are the only immediate solution available in Gaza to stop the infestation," Onyeke said.

"Rat traps are unworkable ... Because of the topography of the rubble and environment in Gaza."

Basel Al-Dahnoun, another resident in the Yarmouk Stadium camp, said he woke up in the middle of the night last week soaked in blood from a wound in his leg that is from a rat bite. 

"We are fighting for the United Nations and the Arab nations and for those who will listen to send us poison to fight these rodents." 

The 48-year-old says a rash spread to his head and back from the incident and that his eight-year-old daughter was also bitten and her leg is now swollen. 

Sewage and sanitation ​systems in Gaza have been severely damaged and humanitarian aid is subject to Israeli restrictions.

Israel cites security concerns for ​the humanitarian and infrastructure restrictions on Gaza, ⁠where it has continued to carry out deadly attacks, saying its action is due to threats from Hamas.

More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military assault on Gaza, according to the enclave's Health Ministry. More than 800 fatalities have occurred since October, the ministry says. The military action followed the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 people taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. 

With waste collection largely halted in Gaza, contaminated water and refuse have accumulated near the tent cities where families sleep, cook and wash. ⁠This has ​given rodents and parasites a unique environment within which they can spread, aid groups say.

"This poses a serious public health risk, as rats can carry and transmit diseases, contaminate food sources and worsen already challenging living conditions," Onyeke said. 

The stadium is not the only space in Gaza where people are struggling with a rat infestation. The Abu Assi school in the Al-Shati refugee camp is also suffering from a similar fate. 

Maha Alian, 39, said rats have invaded the classroom she and her family of eight are living in and leave her children afraid to eat and sleep. 

"I was exposed to bombs and rubble and now I suffer a lot from rats," she said. "We don't know how we are going to live our lives." 

Producer

---

---