Diseases such as chickenpox, meningitis and upper respiratory infections are spreading in Gaza, Palestinian and international medical authorities said, as living conditions worsen due to the war.

Some 160,000 to 165,000 cases of diarrhea have been recorded in children under the age of five, a top World Health Organization (WHO) official said in a briefing today, Tuesday, describing the number as “much more” than normal.

Cases of ringworm, meningitis and jaundice have also been reported in the enclave, according to Richard Pipercorn, the WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories. The WHO is trying to set up mobile laboratories in Gaza to analyze samples for jaundice, Piperkorn added.

He warned that cramped living conditions contribute to the spread of the disease.

More than 130,000 cases of respiratory infections and 35,000 cases of skin rashes have been recorded, the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said in a report published on Monday.

According to the report, at least 4,395 cases of chicken pox, 17,511 cases of head lice and 19,325 cases of scabies have been recorded.

The spread of disease has put additional pressure on the health system in Gaza, which the WHO’s Piperkorn described as “on its knees” since only 11 of the enclave’s 36 hospitals are even partially functional, Piperkorn said at the briefing, highlighting the challenges posed by short staffing and increasing patient numbers.

“Doctors are really forced to prioritize who gets care and who doesn’t. And they deal with a lot of the serious cases actually right away in the hallways or on the floor or even in the chapel,” he said.