Gaza Herald _For thousands of Palestinians in Gaza who survived devastating burn injuries during the war, summer has brought a new layer of suffering. Trapped inside overcrowded tents with little protection from extreme heat, burn survivors are enduring conditions that doctors say can severely worsen their injuries. With Gaza’s healthcare system unable to provide specialized treatment and border crossings largely closed to medical evacuations, many patients face mounting pain with few options for relief.
Six-year-old Rital Halawa embodies the plight of Gaza’s burn victims. Inside a cramped displacement tent, she struggles daily with severe burns and permanent scarring that cover much of her small body. As temperatures soar, the intense heat aggravates her injuries, turning each day into an exhausting battle against pain.
A Childhood Marked by Fire
Rital suffered life-altering burns on May 22, 2025, after what her family says was an explosive device dropped by an Israeli quadcopter drone while she was playing near her family’s destroyed home in Jabalia.
Her mother, Samar, described her daughter’s daily life as “a living death.”
“The fire from the explosion burned almost her entire body,” she said. “Her hands, thighs, abdomen, chest, ear, and chin were all severely burned.”
The family’s displacement has only intensified Rital’s suffering.
“We’re living in a tent, and the extreme heat constantly irritates her damaged skin,” Samar said. “The itching is unbearable. She cries day and night.”
Doctors recommend that severe burn wounds be kept cool and well-ventilated to promote healing, conditions that are impossible to maintain inside Gaza’s overcrowded displacement camps.
“I watch my daughter suffering every day, and I can’t do anything to help her,” her mother said.
Pain Without Adequate Care
The shortage of medical supplies has left Rital without the specialized care her injuries require.
According to her mother, every three weeks doctors inject damaged tissue across her body with approximately 11 injections—performed without anesthesia or pain medication because of severe shortages.
“She wakes up bleeding and screaming after every treatment,” Samar said. “The pain has devastated her emotionally. She’s become withdrawn because she’s so aware of how much her appearance has changed, even though she’s only a child.”
Her burns are so severe that her mother cannot bathe her normally, instead gently wiping her skin to avoid causing further pain.
“Our greatest hope is to get her out of Gaza for treatment before it’s too late,” she said.
Living With Loss and Constant Pain
Similar stories echo throughout Gaza’s displacement camps.
In Khan Younis, Reham Abdullah is coping not only with burn injuries but also the loss of two of her children, who were killed during an attack on people waiting for humanitarian aid last year.
She now struggles to endure the relentless summer heat inside a tent that offers neither cooling nor the medical care needed to prevent her wounds from deteriorating.
Thousands Face the Same Reality
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, burn victims account for more than 15 percent of all people wounded during the war. Many suffered complex, severe burns caused by incendiary weapons and munitions.
The ministry warns that burn patients face growing risks as they remain crowded inside field hospitals and temporary medical facilities that lack even the most basic necessities, including burn ointments, sterile dressings, antibiotics, and reconstructive care.
For many of Gaza’s burn survivors, the combination of extreme heat, displacement, and the collapse of the healthcare system has transformed survival into a daily struggle. Without access to specialized treatment or medical evacuation, families say every passing day brings worsening pain and a growing fear that injuries which might once have been treatable will leave permanent physical and psychological scars.
