DaysofPal- The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has confirmed that three people, including two children under the age of 15, have died from Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare but treatable nerve condition, after life-saving care became unavailable due to Israel’s ongoing blockade of the territory.
The ministry described the deaths not only as a tragic loss but also as a warning sign of a looming public health catastrophe.
“These are not just deaths… They are a warning of a real, potential infectious disaster,” the ministry said in a statement.
Health officials warned that Gaza is facing a sharp increase in both infectious disease and severe malnutrition, especially among children, which has created what they described as a “fertile environment” for the uncontrolled spread of viruses.
Medical tests recently revealed the presence of intestinal viruses unrelated to polio, another indicator of the territory’s deteriorating sanitary and environmental conditions.
The ministry noted that the combination of collapsed health services, environmental degradation, and a severe shortage of medicine is pushing Gaza toward a large-scale outbreak of preventable diseases. “Thousands of children are now at immediate risk,” the statement read.
While a limited shipment of medicine from the World Health Organization is expected to arrive later today, officials stressed that it falls far short of addressing the growing crisis. The Ministry of Health is calling on international humanitarian organizations to urgently supply critical medicines and therapeutic support to prevent further loss of life.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also sounded the alarm, warning that children in Gaza are dying at an “unprecedented” rate amid widespread famine and deteriorating living conditions caused by the ongoing Israeli assault.
According to the World Food Programme, one in four Palestinians in Gaza is now facing famine-like conditions, with more than 100,000 children and women suffering from acute malnutrition.
Since the beginning of Israel’s assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, over 210,000 people have been killed or injured, the majority of them children and women.
On March 2, Israeli authorities intensified their blockade by closing all crossings to humanitarian, relief, and medical aid, accelerating the spread of famine and causing what humanitarian agencies are now calling a catastrophic health and hunger crisis.
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