DaysofPal- Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF) has warned that its program for treating severe facial burns in the Gaza Strip is on the verge of shutting down due to the imminent depletion of 3D-printing filament used to produce specialized therapeutic masks.
The organization said that since Israeli occupation revoked MSF’s authorization to operate in Palestine on 3 December 2025, along with the licenses of 37 other non-governmental organizations, it has been unable to bring new medical supplies into Gaza.
“We are about to run out of 3D printing filament, the essential material needed to make each mask,” MSF said, noting that the remaining stock is almost exhausted, threatening the continuity of one of Gaza’s only advanced burn-treatment services.
MSF continues to run a dedicated clinic in Gaza City for patients with severe facial burns, which it described as receiving a “worrying” number of cases.
Children are among the most vulnerable: they make up 85% of the 88 patients currently undergoing treatment at the facility.
To prevent permanent disfigurement and disability, patients require custom-made pressure masks tailored to each face.
These therapeutic masks apply constant pressure to the healing burn areas, helping to prevent hypertrophic scarring and contractures that can impair breathing, movement, and facial function.
Since 2020, MSF has been the sole provider in Gaza of physiotherapy masks produced with 3D-printing technology.
The process relies on a three-dimensional scan of the patient’s face, followed by the printing of a precisely fitted mask based on those measurements.
At the same time, only two functional 3D scanners remain in operation across the entire Gaza Strip, the organization said, while spare parts for printers and related equipment are banned from entering the territory.
MSF warned that if production of these masks stops, dozens of burn survivors, most of them children, will face a high risk of lifelong facial disfigurement and long-term difficulties with breathing and movement, and urged that medical supplies and equipment necessary for this specialized treatment be allowed into Gaza without delay.
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