Scarred by war, failed by blockade

The Star

3 days ago

HAMZA Abu Shabab cringed in pain as his mother pulled off his shirt and eased his bandaged head back onto his pillow so she could apply ointment to his small, burned body.
The seven-year-old suffered third degree burns across his head, neck and shoulders when, frightened by an Israeli airstrike, he spilled a hot plate of rice and lentils onto himself in his family's tent in southern Gaza.
His recovery has been slowed by Israel's blockade that bars all medicine, food, fuel and other goods from entering Gaza.
His burns have become infected – the boy's immune system is weakened by poor nutrition and supplies of antibiotics are limited, said his mother, Iman Abu Shabab.
'Had there not been a siege or it was a different country, he would have been treated and cured of his wounds,' she said at her son's bedside in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.
Israel's blockade has forced hospitals and clinics across Gaza to stretch limited stocks of medicines even as needs increase. For burn patients, the lack of supplies is particularly excruciating.
Burns are painful and susceptible to infection, but hospitals are short on painkillers, anaesthetics, dressings and hygiene materials, said Julie Faucon, the medical coordinator for Gaza and the occupied West Bank with Doctors Without Borders.
Layan sitting despondently among her dolls at Nasser hospital with second-degree burns on her face, foot and stomach, caused a week earlier during an Israeli army strike on her home in Khan Yunis, Gaza. — AP
Since Israel resumed bombardment across Gaza in mid-March, the number of patients with strike-related burns coming into Nasser Hospital has increased five-fold, from five a day to 20, according to Doctors Without Borders, which supports the facility.
The burns are also bigger, covering up to 40% of people's bodies, Faucon said.
Some patients have died because burns impacted their airways and breathing or because they developed severe infections, she said.
While strikes are a main cause of burns, people also seek treatment for accidents, such as spilling hot liquids.
That is in part due to the squalid living conditions, with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians squeezed into tents and crowded shelters, often cooking over woodfires.
Hamza was one of more than 70 patients in Nasser Hospital's burns and orthopaedic ward – as many as it could hold – with more streaming in for daily care.
His mother said Hamza has undergone nine surgeries, including four on his face. The hospital ran out of the liquid painkillers used for children, and he struggles to swallow the larger pills, she said.
In another room, four-year-old Layan Ibrahim Sahloul sits despondently among her dolls, with second-degree burns across her face, foot and stomach.
A strike on her house in Khan Yunis killed her pregnant mother and two siblings, burying her under the rubble.
Layan has difficulty moving and has become withdrawn and in a constant state of fear, said her aunt, Raga Sahloul. She also suffers from malnutrition, she said.
'I am scared it will take her months instead of weeks to heal,' said her aunt.
Iman standing near Hamza, who lies in bed with third-degree burns caused when he was frightened by an Israeli airstrike, at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza. — AP
The number of malnourished children has swelled under Israel's blockade, with aid groups warning that people are starving.
Without proper nutrition, patients' recovery is slowed and their bodies can't fight infection, say health professionals.
At the meeting of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security Cabinet recently, which decided to expand operations in Gaza, ministers were told that 'at this point, there is enough food in Gaza', without elaborating. according to two Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the meeting.
Israel claims its blockade and renewed military campaign aim to pressure Palestinian resistance group Hamas to release the remaining hostages it holds and to accede to Israel's demands that it disarm.
Rights groups have said the blockade is a 'starvation policy' and a potential war crime.
The United Nations has warned that Gaza's healthcare system is on the brink of collapse, overwhelmed by casualties with essential medicines running out.
Doctors say they're also worried about prospects for long-term care for burn patients.
Many need reconstructive surgery, but few plastic surgeons remain in Gaza.
Israel has increasingly rejected entry for international medical staff, aid workers say, though some continue to have access.
At the end of April, 10-year-old Mira al-Khazandar was severely burned on her arms and chest when a strike hit near her tent.
Worried that she will have permanent scars, her mother combs pharmacies looking for ointments for her.
Mira has been able to return to the family's tent to recover, but she suffers from the sand and mosquitoes there, said her mother Haneen al-Khazandar.
She has to go regularly to the hospital, which risks infecting her burns and causes her pain, standing under the sun waiting for transport.
'She is recovering slowly because there is no treatment, no medicines and no food,' she said.
'She is tired, she can't sleep all night because of the pain... Even after I give her medicine, it doesn't help.' — AP