Gaza authorities warn of spread of diseases among displaced civilians amid Israeli assault

Palestinian authorities warned Monday of an outbreak of epidemics and diseases among displaced civilians in Gaza City due to crowdedness in shelters.

In a statement, the Gaza City Municipality said that the mass exodus of civilians from northern Gaza to the city “has added more pressure on water, sanitation and waste collection services.”

“This has exacerbated the health and environmental crisis that the city is witnessing,” it added.

Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been forced to flee their homes in northern Gaza to the city due to Israel's ongoing ground offensive in the area.

"The forced displacement has caused unprecedented levels of waste accumulation and a significant increase in demand for water, making the situation extremely difficult,” the municipality said.

It appealed to the international community to urgently intervene to help address the basic needs of displaced civilians in Gaza City “to avoid further deterioration in public health."

Since Oct. 5, Israel has launched a large-scale ground operation in northern Gaza to allegedly prevent Palestinian resistance group Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

Since then, no humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, was allowed into the area, leaving most of the population there - estimated currently to be 80,000 - on the verge of imminent famine.

More than 2,300 people have since been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The onslaught was the latest episode in a brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip that has killed over 44,200 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its brutal war on Gaza.