NEW YORK: Viral meningitis is spreading in the Gaza Strip, the UN warned on Thursday. Overcrowding, battered water and sanitation networks and shortages of essential treatments are driving up the risk of transmission across the enclave.

Acute respiratory infections remained the most prevalent health condition reported in Gaza in September, UN associate spokesperson Shirin Yaseen said, citing a World Health Organization report.

“To scale up services, we once more call for the lifting of restrictions on the entry of humanitarian supplies, specialized equipment, engine oil, spare parts and other supplies,” she told reporters, as she urged member states to provide additional funding for the aid effort.

The health warning came a day after a UN warehouse in Khan Younis was damaged by flying debris from an Israeli airstrike. No UN staff were injured, Yaseen said.

Over the past week, about 100 Palestinian families lost tents and other belongings in airstrikes, fires and other incidents. Humanitarian partners have mobilized to provide support for them through a rapid-response process, Yaseen added.

“We reiterate that all parties must uphold their obligations to protect civilians, including humanitarian personnel,” she said.

In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, about 3,000 Palestinians remain displaced from two neighborhoods in Hebron, according to the latest figures from the city’s municipality, relayed by the UN’s humanitarian partners.

Israeli forces were still operating in the two neighborhoods, blocking entry and imposing tight restrictions on movement across the governorate. Yaseen said the Israeli raids were cutting Palestinians off from their livelihoods, schools and healthcare.

“Those displaced must be allowed to return voluntarily and safely. Further forced displacement and demolitions must be prevented,” she added, calling for the protection of Palestinians throughout the West Bank and for safe, unhindered humanitarian access.

Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Hebron on Oct. 24 after an attack in which two Israeli soldiers were killed at a military checkpoint. Troops have carried out searches and demolitions in the neighborhoods of Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said Israeli forces detained at least 47 Palestinians across Hebron in the first few days of the operation.

In Gaza, the October 2025 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered by US President Donald Trump, has failed to halt Israeli attacks. At least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect, officials in the territory say, while Israel has reported four of its soldiers were killed.