UNRWA Warns Disease Outbreaks Spreading Across Gaza; UN School in Jabalia Struck on Day 4 of Renewed Campaign

As Israel's renewed military campaign entered its fourth consecutive day on May 14, 2026, UNRWA and UN agencies issued urgent warnings about deteriorating humanitarian conditions across the Gaza Strip. UNRWA warned that 'disease outbreaks and sanitation risks are spreading across Gaza,' with rising rates of scabies, chickenpox, and other skin infections. Rat bites were increasingly reported in Khan Younis, Gaza City, and northern Gaza — a sign of the collapse of sanitation infrastructure and municipal services. A UNRWA-run school sheltering displaced persons in Jabalia was struck by bullets, injuring two people. The cumulative UNRWA staff killed since October 7, 2023 reached 391 as of May 12 — the highest number of UN workers killed in any conflict in UN history. UNRWA's 11,000 personnel in Gaza continued providing services despite restrictions on generators, engine oil, and spare parts causing widespread system failures in health, sanitation, and debris-removal operations. The total Palestinian death toll since October 7, 2023 continued rising past 72,750+ as operations across Gaza persisted through Day 4. The 2026 UN Flash Appeal ($4.1 billion required) remained under 10% funded. Board of Peace Plan B governance rollout — focused on reconstruction in non-Hamas controlled areas — was being prepared for a June 2026 public announcement, but the ongoing military campaign and aid blockade continued to cause civilian suffering.