The Gaza Strip is no longer just a battlefield of conflict, but has become a picture of deep human tragedy. The Gaza Center for Human Rights has warned that the conditions here have now reached a ‘catastrophic level,’ where living each day has become a new challenge for people.
Between October 2023 and December 2025, around 900,000 tons of waste have accumulated. This waste is not just a statistic, but the everyday reality of thousands of families who are forced to live in their tents amid all this. More than 340,000 tons of garbage lie near the camps, while nearly 40 million tons of debris from destroyed buildings cover the entire area.
This filth has surrounded Gaza with the threat of disease. Rats, mosquitoes, flies, and fleas are now everywhere—in food, in clothes, and even in children’s sleep. Doctors have warned that leptospirosis, a disease spread through rat urine, is no longer just a possibility but is becoming a reality.
The most heartbreaking picture is of families who, out of helplessness, are eating the same food that has already been spoiled by rats and insects. A mother’s helplessness is evident when she says that she cannot afford to throw away the flour bought at high prices, even if it is full of insects. As night falls, rats jump over children, frightening them—and there is no safe place left.
The situation has worsened further because sanitation resources have almost run out. More than 100 garbage collection vehicles have been destroyed or seized. Those that remain are standing idle without fuel or repairs. There are also restrictions on transporting waste to safe disposal sites, causing this crisis to deepen day by day.
The human rights organization says that restrictions on pesticides and rat-control measures have left people completely helpless. Calling this a violation of international humanitarian laws, they stated that forcing civilians into such conditions is a matter of serious concern.
Gaza is crying out for help today. The organization has appealed to the international community to immediately open the borders, provide equipment and fuel for waste removal, and deliver essential medicines and vaccines to prevent diseases.
If the world remains silent even now, this crisis will not be limited to garbage and filth. It could turn into a major humanitarian disaster that engulfs thousands of lives.