Health crisis looming as Gaza heads towards rainy season, warns WHO

What the report says

The World Health Organization is warning that Gaza could face a sharper public health emergency as the rainy season approaches, with winter rains likely to worsen already poor water conditions and raise the risk of disease. In remarks reported by Al Jazeera, the UN agency said recent testing showed a clear decline in water quality across the enclave, alongside a rise in diarrhea cases.

According to the report, WHO representative Reinhilde Van de Weerdt said water contamination remains a major problem because aid and infrastructure are not meeting basic needs. She said flooding could spread sewage, waste and polluted water into the places where displaced people live, cook and care for family members. Al Jazeera reported that Van de Weerdt spoke from Gaza during a briefing in Geneva.

The WHO said tests of about 6,700 water samples over the first eight months of 2026 showed microbiological contamination nearly tripled, rising from under 6% in January to more than 18% in August. The agency also said acute diarrhea cases almost doubled since March, increasing from roughly 27,000 to more than 48,000.

The warning comes amid widespread destruction in Gaza and continuing shortages of shelter, water and sanitation services. The WHO called for faster entry of humanitarian supplies and more materials for shelter, water and waste management, as well as laboratory supplies to help identify disease causes and respond to outbreaks.