Doctors in Gaza are raising alarms over a sharp rise in respiratory illnesses as families, cut off from basic necessities, burn plastic and cardboard to cook and keep warm. Medical professionals warn that the health crisis will worsen unless life-saving medicines, fuel, and food are allowed into the territory, which continues to face severe shortages.
Displaced residents like Um Muhammad al-Masri, who fled the northern town of Beit Hanoun, rely heavily on asthma inhalers to survive the toxic smoke filling their tents. With supplies scarce, she must use her inhaler far more frequently than prescribed, risking her health while trying to care for her children. Similarly, Aisha al-Ra’i, pregnant and caring for multiple children, depends on burning scraps of plastic and cardboard daily despite suffering from chronic illness. Her daughters help collect fuel while her husband and children assist with lighting the fires.
For many families, survival necessitates continuous work under hazardous conditions. Um Muhammad Abu Zuaiter, a baker, continues laboring despite serious health problems, including blood pressure, diabetes, and prior strokes. She highlights the impossibility of stopping work, as her family depends on the income and aid distribution points for daily survival.
Health officials, including Dr. Khalil Al-Daqran from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, link the widespread use of plastics in clay ovens to the increase in pneumonia, asthma, and other respiratory diseases. Hospitals, already strained, cannot cope with the surge in patients due to shortages of medicines and essential medical supplies. Dr. Al-Daqran emphasized the urgent need for international intervention to allow the entry of vital resources, including fuel, food, and healthcare items.
The ongoing conflict has created a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, forcing displaced populations to rely on rudimentary survival methods. While the UN is prepared to provide additional aid, multiple obstacles—including border closures—prevent essential supplies from reaching those in desperate need.
