Key facts
- Displaced Palestinians in Gaza are living in tent cities with makeshift toilets.
- These makeshift toilets are unsanitary, posing health risks.
- Residents are forced to dig out sewage sludge manually.
- The lack of proper sanitation is described as humiliating.
In southern Gaza, displaced families are living in rudimentary tent cities, facing severe sanitation challenges. Mostafa Shaaban described building a makeshift toilet for his family by digging a pit, covering it with a concrete slab and a bucket, and placing a toilet seat over it. This setup, located near their sleeping and cooking areas, emits a foul odor and attracts flies and mosquitoes. Shaaban is required to manually remove the sewage sludge from the pit weekly. The article highlights the deeply humiliating and unhygienic conditions faced by residents due to the lack of proper toilet facilities in these temporary settlements.