Gaza sees sharp rise in skin diseases amid severe heat wave

ISTANBUL

Gaza is experiencing a widespread increase in skin diseases due to a severe heat wave, Al-Shifa Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya said Thursday.

Abu Salmiya highlighted that soaring temperatures combined with a severe shortage of drinking water are putting residents of all ages at increased health risk across the Gaza Strip, local media reported.

He stressed that hospitals are struggling to operate essential medical devices because fuel deliveries have been halted, directly threatening the lives of patients and the injured. Meanwhile, health care workers continue to serve under harsh conditions.

Abu Salmiya emphasized that hospitals are in a critical state and the failure to operate life-saving devices is catastrophic, noting that the Israeli army continues to target schools, hospitals and tents housing displaced people.

He further stressed that the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is deepening day by day.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing more than 61,700 Palestinians and devastating its health care system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court 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 for its war on the enclave.