Abdul Hamid Abdul Muti thought the meal he had prepared for his family would offer a brief moment of normality amid life in a displacement camp.
Instead, within hours, the 44-year-old was doubled over with stomach cramps, vomiting repeatedly and suffering severe diarrhoea.
"I thought it would pass quickly, but the symptoms continued for days," he told The New Arab from al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Days later, his wife and two children developed the same symptoms.
"When you see your children suffering in front of you, and you cannot provide proper treatment, you feel complete helplessness," he said. "The war has taken everything from us, even the ability to protect our children from disease has become limited."
As Israel's genocidal war on Gaza continues to devastate the enclave's healthcare, water and sanitation systems, doctors say cases of gastroenteritis are rising rapidly among displaced families living in overcrowded camps.
Abdul Muti is one of a growing number of Palestinians diagnosed with gastroenteritis, commonly known as the stomach flu, which is often caused by viruses, contaminated food or unsafe water. Living in a tent offers little chance of recovery, with no protection from the heat, dust or overcrowding as daily life revolves around the search for food and clean water.
Dr Mohammed Zaqout, director general of hospitals in Gaza, told The New Arab that hospitals and primary healthcare centres have recorded a noticeable increase in gastroenteritis cases in recent months, particularly among children, older people and displaced Palestinians.
"The deteriorating humanitarian conditions and the collapse of basic services have created an environment where such diseases can spread rapidly," he said.
Doctors say patients are typically arriving with severe diarrhoea, vomiting, dehydration and stomach pain, symptoms that can quickly become dangerous in a territory where access to healthcare is increasingly limited.
The rise has been noticed by medical staff across Gaza. In May, Gaza-based doctor Ezzideen Shehbab wrote on X that 32 of the 84 patients he examined in a single day were suffering from the same illness, including one entire family of seven. Disease spreading through displacement camps In Gaza City, Mariam Al-Askari watched the illness move through her family one by one .
"It started with my youngest son, who developed severe diarrhoea, stomach pain, and a high fever," she told The New Arab. "At first, we thought it was a minor illness that would pass within a day or two. But the next day, the same symptoms began appearing among the rest of the family."
Within days, everyone sharing the tent had fallen ill.
"My husband, my children, and even my elderly mother. We felt helpless because access to medical care has become extremely difficult," she said.
The situation became critical when her youngest daughter became severely dehydrated.
"We rushed her to the hospital because we feared we might lose her," she said. At the hospital, she found dozens of families facing similar experiences.
Like thousands of displaced Palestinians, Al-Askari lives with her husband, four children and mother in a tent pitched beside their damaged home in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.
"The space is cramped, and basic services are almost non-existent," she said.
"Once one child became ill, the infection spread quickly because there was no way to isolate anyone."
Basic measures used to prevent the spread of gastroenteritis, such as regular handwashing, sanitation and isolation of infected family members, have become nearly impossible in many parts of Gaza.
"We are living in inhumane conditions," Al-Askari said. "There is no reliable electricity, clean water is scarce , and healthcare services are overwhelmed." Healthcare system under strain Dr Zaqout said the destruction of Gaza's infrastructure has significantly increased the risk of contamination.
"Overcrowding in displacement camps and the lack of effective health and food safety monitoring have heightened the risk of foodborne and waterborne illnesses," he said.
The prolonged electricity crisis has compounded the problem by making it difficult to safely store food, particularly frozen products.
At the same time, damaged laboratories and shortages of testing equipment make it harder to investigate outbreaks and determine their precise causes.
Abdul Muti said conditions in the displacement camps are helping drive the spread of disease.
"Clean water is scarce, sanitation systems are severely damaged, and food is not subject to any real oversight," he said.
Both he and Al-Askari rely heavily on food aid, often receiving frozen or canned products that cannot always be stored safely.
"We simply do not have the luxury of choosing what we eat," Al-Askari said. "When people are hungry, they eat whatever is available."
Although gastroenteritis is generally treated through hydration, rest and medication, Gaza's collapsing healthcare system is making even basic treatment difficult.
"The health sector is facing a continuous collapse," Dr Zaqout said.
He accused Israeli authorities of continuing to delay the entry of medicines and medical supplies, adding that many essential items in Ministry of Health warehouses have been completely depleted.
"This severe shortage is limiting our ability to respond effectively to the growing number of patients," he said.
Hospitals are also struggling with fuel shortages that threaten critical services, while exhausted medical staff continue to work under immense pressure after months of war.
Dr Zaqout said Gaza urgently needs medicines, intravenous fluids, laboratory supplies and fuel, alongside improved access to clean drinking water and sanitation services.
"Without urgent action, Gaza risks facing wider outbreaks of infectious diseases that could further overwhelm an already collapsing healthcare system," he warned. 'We are now afraid of the food we eat' For many families, fear now extends far beyond bombs, displacement and hunger.
"There is war, shelling, hunger, displacement, and now disease," Abdul Muti said. "Every day we wake up not knowing what awaits us."
He fears the number of infections will continue to rise as temperatures increase and living conditions deteriorate further.
"I fear these infections will turn into a larger crisis if medicines, clean water, and safe food are not provided," he said.
"People here are extremely exhausted, and any additional illness could be catastrophic for thousands of families already struggling just to survive," he added.
Al-Askari shares the same concerns.
"We are no longer afraid only of bombs or starvation," she said. "We are now afraid of the food we eat and the water we drink."
"Every meal comes with questions about its safety. That is a terrible reality because food is supposed to keep us alive, not make us sick."
Illness is spreading quickly, especially among children, she added, warning that Gaza could face an even deeper public health crisis if conditions continue to deteriorate.
"My greatest fear is for my children," she said.