Gaza's worsening sanitation situation signal 'perfect storm for tragedy': UN

Fuel shortages and worsening sanitation in the besieged Gaza are shaping up to be the perfect storm for tragedy through the spread of disease, the United Nations has warned.

UNICEF, the UN children's agency, said on Tuesday that there was a serious threat of a mass disease outbreak in the occupied Palestinian territory.

"Without enough fuel, we will see the collapse of sanitation services. So we have then, on top of the mortars and the bombs, a perfect storm for the spread of disease.

"It's a perfect storm for tragedy," UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told a press briefing in Geneva.

"We have a desperate lack of water, faecal matter strewn across densely populated settlements, an unacceptable lack of latrines, and severe, severe restraints on hand-washing, personal hygiene, and cleaning."

Cholera risk due to contaminated food

Israel has cut off supplies of water, electricity, fuel, and food to the already crippled territory in the aftermath of the attacks.

UNICEF is particularly concerned about the risk of a cholera outbreak in Gaza, fearing an exponential rise in child deaths if an outbreak was to strike.

Cholera, which has not so far been detected in Gaza, is contracted from a bacterium that is generally transmitted through contaminated food or water.

'Serious threat of mass disease outbreak'

Speaking via video link from Cairo, Elder said the potential for wider loss of life in Gaza was being significantly exacerbated because an estimated 800,000 children in the enclave are displaced from their homes.

"If children's access to water and sanitation in Gaza continues to be restricted and insufficient, we will see a tragic yet entirely avoidable surge in the number of children dying," said Elder.

"It's also important to note it's starting to rain in Gaza. Now combined, children face a serious threat of mass disease outbreak. This, of course, would be lethal."