'Exposed to death' Polio jabs rolled out in Gaza as diseases spread in makeshift camps
The Guardian|September 03, 2024
Like so many in Gaza, Eid al-Attar, a teacher from the north of the Strip, now spends his days trying to find enough food and water to keep his family alive.
Malak A Tantesh
'Exposed to death' Polio jabs rolled out in Gaza as diseases spread in makeshift camps

Displaced eight times since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, the 42-year-old has tried his best to shield his five children from the conflict. Now the Palestinian territory is facing a new danger: the highly infectious and potentially deadly disease, polio.

"We cannot protect our children.

We are exposed to death at any moment due to the constant bombardment and insecurity. And I cannot protect them from diseases either," he told the Guardian in Deir al-Balah on Sunday as a UN-led vaccination campaign began.

"We live in a tent, which does not protect us from anything, there are no medicines, there is garbage everywhere, and the streets are filled with wastewater."

Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza has decimated the territory's healthcare system, with 31 of 36 hospitals damaged or destroyed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). About 90% of the Strip's 2.3m population has been displaced from their homes, with the majority living in very overcrowded, unsanitary makeshift camps. Hepatitis, pneumonia and diarrhoeal diseases such as dysentery, as well as scabies, lice and debilitating rashes are already rife, the WHO says.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIANView all
First mass 24-hour event to help people put down their phones
The Guardian

First mass 24-hour event to help people put down their phones

Haunted by a pile of unread books? Or taunted by outdoor kit lurking in the cupboard? If you are one of the British adults who spends on average five hours a day looking at screens rather than participating in pastimes, perhaps it's time to join the offline revolution.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
No longer the king of bling The staggering fall of rap star Sean 'Diddy' Combs
The Guardian

No longer the king of bling The staggering fall of rap star Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Brooklyn's grim Metropolitan Detention Center is, for the foreseeable future, home to Puff Daddy, AKA Sean Combs, one of the best-known voices in American entertainment and whose business empire once seemed to know no bounds.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 21, 2024
Brandenburg stakes Last-minute push by German far right in key regional election
The Guardian

Brandenburg stakes Last-minute push by German far right in key regional election

B jörn Höcke shielded his eyes from the lights as he peered from the stage into the crowds gathered on a square in front of a gothic church in central Cottbus.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
'It's guerrilla war' The fire teams facing arson chaos in Amazon
The Guardian

'It's guerrilla war' The fire teams facing arson chaos in Amazon

The occupants of the military tents at this remote jungle camp in Brazil's wild west T survey the hellscape surrounding them.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 21, 2024
"The horror of it' Trial of husband and 50 men accused of wife's rape shakes France
The Guardian

"The horror of it' Trial of husband and 50 men accused of wife's rape shakes France

On the narrow streets of stone houses with pastel-blue shutters, residents of Mazan were appalled that this picturesque village in Provence was being referred to in the media as \"the village of the rapists\".

time-read
4 mins  |
September 21, 2024
West End revival Will a traffic ban lure shoppers back to Oxford Street?
The Guardian

West End revival Will a traffic ban lure shoppers back to Oxford Street?

From the rooftop of John Lewis's flagship store, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, laid out the changes planned for Oxford Street below: \"We want a public realm that is world class, green, healthy and safe but also increases footfall in the shops.\"

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
Live and let fly James Bond chopper firm awaits decision on £1bn deal
The Guardian

Live and let fly James Bond chopper firm awaits decision on £1bn deal

The Merlin helicopter sitting on a factory floor in Yeovil is a sight familiar to James Bond aficionados from the climactic shootout of the 2012 film Skyfall.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
The Guardian

Mental illness is Britons' biggest health concern, survey finds

Mental health has overtaken cancer and obesity as the health issue that is the biggest cause of concern for most Britons, a global survey reveals.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
Noise, crime, crowds Rise in tourism stokes tensions in bustling Lake District town
The Guardian

Noise, crime, crowds Rise in tourism stokes tensions in bustling Lake District town

Even on a weekday afternoon at the very tail end of summer, Bowness-onWindermere is bustling with life. Outside the town's pubs and bars, drinkers sip lager and sparkling wine in the warm September sun.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 21, 2024
EU's new proposals on youth mobility will put Starmer 'reset' to test
The Guardian

EU's new proposals on youth mobility will put Starmer 'reset' to test

Fresh proposals to allow young people to move between Britain and the EU will be presented to the British government within weeks, in what is seen as a significant early test of Labour's \"reset\" in relations with Brussels.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024