Gaza Herald- Masa Al-Khatib, a Palestinian child, remains in the pediatric ward at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, her fragile condition sustained by intravenous treatment. Nearby, her two sisters, who suffer from the same rare genetic disorder, reflect the family’s ongoing struggle with a debilitating illness.
Ahmed Al-Khatib, the girls’ father, said that his daughters have lived with a rare immune disorder since birth. Local treatments have proven ineffective, and although they were referred for care abroad through the World Health Organization in 2024, border closures have blocked their travel. Masa urgently requires a bone marrow transplant, which is not available in Gaza, placing her life in immediate danger.
Medical Shortages in Gaza Put Patients’ Lives at Risk
Masa’s doctor, Dr. Eyad Abu Ma’aleq, said that she suffers from a rare genetic immune disorder leading to severe weight loss and recurrent infections. Current immune therapies are only temporary, and a bone marrow transplant abroad is her only definitive treatment. Without it, her life is in immediate danger amid Gaza’s crumbling medical infrastructure.
The mother of the three girls affirmed that her family is enduring severe humanitarian hardships, struggling to obtain even basic food and essential medicines. She explained that her daughters require special nutrition and vitamins, which are often unavailable, turning daily life into a constant battle between illness and scarce resources. She urged the international community and the WHO to take urgent action and allow her daughters to travel for treatment.
Gaza’s healthcare system is under extreme pressure due to the blockade and shortages of medical supplies, leaving many complex cases untreated. An estimated 22,000 patients need to leave the territory for urgent treatment, but the tight Israeli siege and restrictions at the Rafah crossing continue to block their access.
Before the genocide, Palestinians crossed the Rafah border daily between Gaza and Egyptian management without Israeli involvement.
