FT: Rising rodent infestation feeds on bodies trapped in Gaza ruins

The Gaza Strip is facing a growing infestation of rats and other rodents due to bodies remaining under rubble, according to a report by the Financial Times (FT), citing local residents and international organisations.

“These big rodents have been feeding on bodies under the rubble and their numbers have multiplied,” Malek Shinbary, a Palestinian writer living with his wife and two small children in a tent in Al-Mawasi, told the newspaper. “They come into the tent and chew on our clothes. Every day we have to throw something out.”

A representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Salim Oweis, said that necessary heavy equipment for clearing rubble is not being allowed into the territory.

“Machinery [to move rubble] is not allowed in, and another problem is the space left in Gaza. It’s really hard to find a place to move the rubble to. It has created the perfect environment for rodents to multiply,” he stressed.

Another resident said rodents are also being attracted by wastewater from makeshift cesspits, which residents are forced to dig themselves due to the lack of access to functioning sewage systems.

Alongside rodents, residents are also reportedly struggling with mosquitoes, fleas, and lice, which are contributing to infections and disease outbreaks amid widespread infrastructure collapse and unsanitary conditions caused by waste and sewage. 

Since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect in October 2025, no large-scale reconstruction work has taken place in the enclave. Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated that, at the request of the UN and international organizations, “nearly 170 tons of pesticides and thousands of traps for rats, mosquitoes, and other pests have been brought into the Gaza Strip in recent weeks”.

By Jeyhun Aghazada