Respiratory illnesses rise in Gaza with worst to come as winter floods arrive, WHO says

A displaced Palestinian child walks through a partially flooded camp in Gaza City on Nov. 7. | REUTERS

Nov 15, 2026

GENEVA – The World Health Organization warned on Friday of surging respiratory illnesses in Gaza, with worse expected after heavy rains flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced Palestinians.

“The numbers already show the pressure. Acute respiratory infections are 33,000 cases higher than at the same time last year,” Dr. Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told reporters in Geneva from Jerusalem.

Poor living conditions and severe overcrowding are driving up infections as Gaza’s population is squeezed into an ever-smaller area, WHO said. The crunch has worsened as the Israeli military expands its control by advancing the “Yellow Line” — a demarcation established under October’s U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

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