Latest news with #UniversityHospitalPisa
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Malnourished Palestinian woman dies in Italy after Gaza evacuation
A 20-year-old Palestinian woman suffering from severe malnutrition who was evacuated from Gaza to Italy this week has died, a hospital in Pisa has said. The woman, named by Italian media as Marah Abu Zuhri, arrived in Pisa on an Italian government humanitarian flight on Wednesday night. Zuhri had come to Italy with her mother on one of three Italian air force flights that arrived this week with a total of 31 critical patients suffering from serious congenital diseases, wounds or amputations, the Italian foreign ministry said at the time. According to the University hospital of Pisa she had a 'very complex clinical picture' and was 'in a profound state of organic wasting', doctors said in a statement. On Friday, after undergoing tests and starting treatment, she had a sudden respiratory crisis and cardiac arrest, and died. The hospital did not elaborate on her condition, but Italian news agencies reporting health facility sources said that she was suffering from severe malnutrition. More than 180 children and young people from Gaza have been brought to Italy since the war began between Israel and Hamas. According to the UN World Food Programme, one-third of the Palestinian population in Gaza goes for days without eating, and half a million are on the brink of starvation, it said in July. 'The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip,' the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said last month, calling for an urgent ceasefire to alleviate 'widespread starvation'. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) another five people died last week due to malnutrition and starvation, bringing the total number of malnutrition-related deaths to 227, including 103 children, since October 2023. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed last month: 'There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza.' However, even Donald Trump, Netanyahu's key international ally, when asked if he agreed with the Israeli PM, said: 'I don't know … those children look very hungry … that's real starvation stuff.' Thousands of sick children in Gaza need urgent medical evacuation, according to OCHA. Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the agency, recalled the moment she recognised a young girl requiring treatment in a Gaza hospital that she had met a year earlier, once again suffering from malnourishment. 'I remembered her long eyelashes,' the veteran humanitarian told UN News, describing seven-year-old Janah, whom she came across at Gaza City's Patient Friendly hospital on Tuesday. 'The first time I met her was in the IMC Field Hospital in southern Gaza in April 2024. Back then, she was severely malnourished and was getting treatment. And she gradually became better and was released eventually and went home.' However, Janah was now back in hospital 'because the malnutrition became aggravated and the condition that she has also is not properly diagnosed and cannot be properly diagnosed'. The girl was on a list of people to be medically evacuated for treatment outside Gaza. The most recent evacuations took place on Wednesday when the World Health Organization supported the transfer of 32 children and six adults to Italy, Belgium and Turkey, but more than 14,800 patients are still waiting. Cherevko stressed the importance of ensuring that evacuations continue to save as many lives as possible. She pointed out that for children and adults with pre-existing conditions, their situation becomes worse with malnutrition. 'It wouldn't be this way if they had proper nutrition, because these conditions existed before the starvation crisis and they weren't getting as sick as they are now,' she said. On Saturday the Israeli military announced it was preparing to relocate Palestinians as it launches a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City in a plan that has raised international alarm.
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Gazan woman flown to Italy dies of malnutrition
A Gazan woman who was evacuated to Italy for treatment while severely emaciated has died in hospital. The 20-year-old, who was identified as Marah Abu Zuhri, flew to Pisa with her mother on an overnight flight on Wednesday under a scheme set up by the Italian government. The University Hospital of Pisa said that she suffered a cardiac arrest and died on Friday, less than 48 hours after arriving. The hospital said she had suffered a severe loss of weight and muscle, as the UN warned of widespread malnutrition in Gaza. More than 180 children and adults have been brought to Italy since the start of Israel's war with Gaza. Thirty one patients and their companions arrived Rome, Milan, and Pisa this week, all with serious congenital diseases, wounds or amputations, the Italian foreign ministry said. Meanwhile, British MPs urged the government to bring sick and injured children from Gaza to the UK "without delay", weeks after the British prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, promised to set up an evacuation Home Office said it intends to evacuate a few hundred children from Gaza "at pace" and that biometric tests must be carried out before children and carers can be allowed in the UK. The Israeli ministry said it will start providing Gaza City residents with tents and other equipment from Sunday before relocating them to "safe zones".The statement came days after Israel's government announced troops would occupy Gaza City. Several days of heavy bombardment of the Zeitoun, the largest district in the city, has since followed.A spokesperson for the municipality told the BBC that the situation in Zeitoun was "catastrophic", with mass displacement taking place after six days of relentless Israeli air strikes, shelling and demolition least 36 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, according Gaza's Hamas-run health health ministry also said that 11 more people had died from malnutrition, bringing the number of hunger-related deaths to more than 250. The Israeli military said it was "committed to mitigating civilian harm" and questioned the reliability of the death tolls provided by the Hamas-run government denies there is malnutrition in Gaza. It says its forces target terrorists and never civilians, and claims that Hamas is responsible for the humanitarian crisis. More than 60,000 people have been killed since the start of Israel's war in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Malnourished Palestinian woman dies in Italy after Gaza evacuation
A 20-year-old Palestinian woman suffering from severe malnutrition who was evacuated from Gaza to Italy this week has died, a hospital in Pisa has said. The woman, named by Italian media as Marah Abu Zuhri, arrived in Pisa on an Italian government humanitarian flight on Wednesday night. Zuhri had come to Italy with her mother on one of three Italian air force flights that arrived this week with a total of 31 critical patients suffering from serious congenital diseases, wounds or amputations, the Italian foreign ministry said at the time. According to the University hospital of Pisa she had a 'very complex clinical picture' and was 'in a profound state of organic wasting', doctors said in a statement. On Friday, after undergoing tests and starting treatment, she had a sudden respiratory crisis and cardiac arrest, and died. The hospital did not elaborate on her condition, but Italian news agencies reporting health facility sources said that she was suffering from severe malnutrition. More than 180 children and young people from Gaza have been brought to Italy since the war began between Israel and Hamas. According to the UN World Food Programme, one-third of the Palestinian population in Gaza goes for days without eating, and half a million are on the brink of starvation, it said in July. 'The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip', the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said last month, calling for an urgent ceasefire to alleviate 'widespread starvation'. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) another five people died last week due to malnutrition and starvation, bringing the total number of malnutrition-related deaths to 227, including 103 children, since October 2023. Israeli primeminister, Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed last month: 'There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza.' However, even Donald Trump, Netanyahu's key international ally, when asked if he agreed with the Israeli PM, said: 'I don't know … those children look very hungry … that's real starvation stuff.' Thousands of sick children in Gaza need urgent medical evacuation, according to OCHA. Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the agency, recalled the moment she recognised a young girl requiring treatment in a Gaza hospital that she had met a year earlier , once again suffering from malnourishment. 'I remembered her long eyelashes,' the veteran humanitarian told UN News, describing seven-year-old Janah, whom she came across at Gaza City's Patient Friendly Hospital on Tuesday. 'The first time I met her was in the IMC Field Hospital in southern Gaza in April 2024. Back then, she was severely malnourished and was getting treatment. And she gradually became better and was released eventually and went home.' However, Janah was now back in hospital 'because the malnutrition became aggravated and the condition that she has also is not properly diagnosed and cannot be properly diagnosed.' The girl was on a list of people to be medically evacuated for treatment outside Gaza. The most recent evacuations took place on Wednesday when the World Health Organization supported the transfer of 32 children and six adults to Italy, Belgium and Turkey, but more than 14,800 patients are still waiting. Cherevko stressed the importance of ensuring that evacuations continue to save as many lives as possible. She pointed out that for children and adults with pre-existing conditions, their situation becomes worse with malnutrition. 'It wouldn't be this way if they had proper nutrition, because these conditions existed before the starvation crisis and they weren't getting as sick as they are now,' she said.
South China Morning Post
15 hours ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Palestinian evacuee's death in Italy highlights Gaza's starvation crisis
A young Palestinian woman with severe wasting who was flown from Gaza to Italy this week for treatment has died, according to the hospital. The 20-year-old, named by Italian media as Marah Abu Zuhri, arrived in Pisa on Thursday on an overnight Italian government humanitarian flight. She had a 'very complex clinical picture' and was 'in a profound state of organic wasting', the University Hospital of Pisa said in a statement on Saturday. On Friday, after undergoing tests and starting treatment, she had a sudden respiratory crisis and cardiac arrest, and died. The hospital did not elaborate on her condition, but Italian news agencies reported that she was suffering from severe malnutrition. A Palestinian child is seen to at the Milan Linate military airport, where a group of Gaza evacuees landed for treatment in Italian hospitals on Thursday. Photo: EPA Humanitarian groups, UN agencies and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have warned of the risk of widespread famine in war-battered Gaza.
Al Arabiya
16 hours ago
- Health
- Al Arabiya
Gaza woman flown to Italy for treatment dies at 20
A young Palestinian woman with severe wasting who was flown from Gaza to Italy this week for treatment has died, the hospital said on Saturday. The 20-year-old, named by Italian media as Marah Abu Zuhri, arrived in Pisa on an Italian government humanitarian flight overnight Wednesday-Thursday. She had a 'very complex clinical picture' and was 'in a profound state of organic wasting,' the University Hospital of Pisa said in a statement. On Friday, after undergoing tests and starting treatment, she had a sudden respiratory crisis and cardiac arrest, and died. The hospital did not elaborate on her condition, but Italian news agencies reported that she was suffering from severe malnutrition. Humanitarian groups, UN agencies and Palestinian militant group Hamas have warned of the risk of widespread famine in war-battered Gaza. The young woman had come to Italy with her mother on one of three Italian air force flights that arrived this week with a total of 31 patients and their companions. They all suffered from serious congenital diseases, wounds or amputations, the Italian foreign ministry said at the time. So far more than 180 children and young people from Gaza have been brought to Italy since the war began between Israel and Hamas. The head of the Tuscany region, Eugenio Giani, offered his condolences to the young woman's family.
