As humanitarian groups warn that multiple epidemics are likely ongoing in Gaza, one report has revealed that there has been a major uptick of cases of viral hepatitis B, which infects the liver, as sanitary conditions continue to deteriorate and Israel’s genocide rages on.
Haaretz reports that over 100,000 cases of viral hepatitis B have been recorded in Gaza, according to Palestinian Authority health minister Maged Abu-Ramadan. Last year, there were only 85 recorded cases of the infection, meaning that cases have increased by over 1,100 times in the past year.
This potential epidemic, along with the spread of many other diseases across Gaza, is caused by Israel’s unceasing bombings, humanitarian blockade and destruction of crucial sanitary and health infrastructure. Last week, UN agencies reported that the solid waste management system in Gaza has completely collapsed, with a complete lack of access to major landfills causing vast exposure to disease-causing trash and waste.
Hepatitis B is spread through contact with bodily fluids like blood and semen; it is commonly spread from a parent to a child at birth and from injection with contaminated needles. Chronic hepatitis B, or cases that last longer than six months, is the world’s leading cause of liver cancer, and the majority of babies and children who contract it have lifelong infections.
Because hepatitis B is spread through bodily fluids, the reported uptick in cases could be an indication of the extent of the unsanitary conditions in Gaza; humanitarian groups have previously warned of the spread of hepatitis B due to Israel’s blockade on menstrual hygiene supplies like pads. Many have turned to desperate methods, like washing and reusing pads or cutting up old clothes and tents to use as pads.
Officials have been raising alarm about other diseases spreading through the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian groups have been warning for months that the death toll caused by Israel’s disease and starvation campaigns could eventually top the deaths caused by bombings and gunfire.
Last week, the Gaza health ministry declared a polio epidemic in the Strip after samples of poliovirus were detected in wastewater samples across the region. Polio can go undetected in a person’s body, which means that it can be spread easily, while in some people it can cause paralysis. Officials have not yet detected paralytic cases, but disease surveillance is essentially impossible due to Israel’s genocidal assault.
Also last week, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that there has been an eruption of cases of Hepatitis A, an unrelated virus spread through the ingestion of contaminated food or water, in Gaza.
According to UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA has recorded nearly 40,000 cases of the illness in their facilities in the past 10 months, compared to only 85 cases in the same period before. The agency is recording about 800 to 1,000 new cases weekly.
“Piles of trash are accumulating in the scorching summer heat. Sewage discharges on the streets while people queue for hours just to go to the toilets,” said Lazzarini. “All combined make a dangerous recipe for diseases to spread.”
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $150,000 in one-time donations and to add 1,500 new monthly donors.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy