In Khan Younis, Asmahan al-Masri lives in a camp with fifteen relatives, only steps from trash heaps.
Mountains of foul-smelling trash throughout the Gaza Strip, amid a recently war-torn terrain, pose serious risks to human health and the environment.
Asmahan al-Masri, a displaced lady originally from Beit Hanoun in the north, says, "We've never lived next to rubbish before." Her house is now a wasteland in Khan Younis.
"Like any other grandma, I weep when I hear of her grandchildren's illness and scabies. It's similar to a gradual death. No dignity exists.
The UN and humanitarian organizations who focus on sanitation estimate that over 330,400 tons of solid garbage have accumulated in the Palestinian area in only eight months.
In a camp next to al-Aqsa University, sixteen members of the Masri family live in a tent amid clouds of insects and sometimes snakes. Dangerous dogs may wander in close proximity. Every homeowner bemoans the persistent stink.
"The odor is very unsettling. Asmahan said, "I try to obtain some air by keeping the door of my tent open, but it's not there. "Just that garbage smell."
A portion of the over a million individuals who have lately fled Israel's military assault on the southern city of Rafah have been compelled to reside in open spaces that have already been converted into makeshift disposal sites for trash.
Ali Nasser, who just relocated from his house in Rafah to the al-Aqsa University campground, says, "We looked everywhere for a suitable place, but we are 18 people with our children and grandchildren, meaning we couldn't find anywhere else where we were able to remain together."
We spent more over 1,000 shekels ($268; £212) traveling here, and as a result, our finances are completely ruined. We are compelled to live in this horrible condition as we have no employment and no money. We have diarrhea, vomiting, and itching skin all the time.
Prior to the conflict, essential services like garbage disposal were severely hampered by the years-long siege that Israel and Egypt enforced on Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Tight controls over what was allowed into the region, citing security concerns, meant that there weren't enough garbage trucks or tools to properly dispose of residential trash and sort it, recycle it, or both.
The Israeli military has barred access to the border region, which contains Gaza's two major waste sites, ever since the devastating Hamas-led onslaught on October 7. The north was originally serviced by one in Juhr al-Dik, while the middle and southern regions were served by another in al-Fukhari.
Planning director Sam Rose of UN agency Unrwa said, "We're seeing a waste management crisis in Gaza, and one that has gotten a lot worse over the past few months."
A BBC Verify compilation of social media video reveals that as people have fled in waves to other towns and cities, makeshift trash sites have expanded. These sites in Gaza City, Khan Younis, and Rafah have been verified by BBC Verify as real from February to June of this year.
Another facet of Gaza's sanitation issues was previously shown by BBC Verify's satellite analysis, which revealed that since Israel started its military campaign against Hamas, half of Gaza's water and sewage treatment facilities had been damaged or completely destroyed.
Huge mounds of trash and enormous puddles of grey-brown sludge surround these folks who are forced to live there. According to Mr. Rose, either this is just left outside people's houses or, in some cases, residents have been compelled to relocate close to the makeshift landfills that have been established.
"People actually reside among the trash."
Local authorities are overburdened by the large-scale population relocation and often have to cope with damaged infrastructure as a result of the continuous Israeli assault. They lament the absence of personnel, tools, garbage trucks, and gasoline for them.
Omar Matar, a representative of the Khan Younis municipality, laments the terrible living circumstances of individuals who are now residing close to al-Aqsa University.
"The environmental and health criteria are not met by these haphazard dumping. They don't stop rats, insects, or smells from spreading," the man claims.
"They were originally developed as a contingency measure due to the closure of the Sofa landfill site [at al-Fukhari], until a way to transfer the waste there is arranged with international institutions," he says.
Cogat, an Israeli military authority, informed me via a spokesperson that it was considering many options to address the garbage issue in Gaza.
According to the UN Development Programme, it has lately collected 47,000 tons of rubbish from Gaza's central and southern regions and has given out 80,000 gallons of gasoline to aid in the cleanup efforts. However, much more work has to be done.
As summer temperatures rise, relief organizations are issuing fresh alerts over the health risks associated with an abundance of trash.
But many Gazans are forced by desperation to take unnecessary risks, such as scavenging for goods to consume, use, or sell.
We became used to the scent. Mohammed, one of a group of boys picking over a garbage dump near Deir al-Balah, says, "Every day we come here together to try to find cardboard boxes and other objects which we can burn to make fires." The dump is full of waste from aid packaging and crude attempts to clear sites hit by Israeli air strikes.
A refugee from Beit Lahia named Mazad Abu Mila says he is searching for scrap metal so he may construct a furnace.
"We left behind all of our belongings, including our homes, automobiles, stores, and cattle. Everyone had departed. The greatest risk to our health is this. Before this, I would have never visited a trash dump, but suddenly everyone is coming here.
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