Rare paralysis hits Gaza's children as viruses spread

Israel's blockade makes Gaza 'fertile' territory for infections - which may be causing outbreak of Guillain-Barré syndrome

The destruction inflicted on Gaza by Israel's war has left Palestinians vulnerable to disease and infection. AFP

Doctors in Gaza are alarmed by the spread of a rare nerve disorder that has left at least two children dead and others paralysed.

Health authorities have recorded dozens of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in recent months, compared to four or five a year before Israel's war in Gaza. The condition causes the immune system to attack its own nerves.

Medics say it often starts within a few weeks of an infection, such as flu or a stomach bug, and sometimes leads to paralysis lasting weeks or months. One Palestinian official warned that Israel's blockade has left Gaza exposed to the spread of disease.

“The blockade and severe shortages of equipment have created a fertile environment for infectious diseases to spread unchecked,” said Ayman Abu Rahma, who oversees preventive medicine at Gaza's health ministry.

“We have observed a concerning increase in the number of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome among children. Medical tests in recent weeks revealed viruses contributing to its spread in Gaza,” he said.

Lack of treatment

For families, the illness is deeply personal and devastating. Kamal Abu Warda, the father of eight-year-old Youssef, spoke through tears about his son’s “very harsh and difficult condition”.

“His body is paralysed, his joints are weak, he struggles to breathe, and he cannot eat,” Mr Abu Warda said. He said no specialist treatment is available because of Israel's border closures.

“We admitted him to intensive care two weeks ago, but without proper treatment or equipment, his suffering has only worsened,” he told The National.

“I try to reassure him, to tell him he will recover like other children, but inside I am broken. The hardest part is the helplessness, knowing I can do nothing for him except pray.”

Israel controls entry and exit at Gaza's borders, making it impossible for most stricken patients to leave. AFP

For others, the fight to save their children has already been lost. Salah Qdeih's 10-year-old son Medhat died after contracting Guillain-Barré syndrome.

“My son died before my eyes. I appealed for him to be taken abroad for treatment, but no one responded,” he said. “I lost him after many long days of watching him suffer, with no treatment available for this rare and dangerous disease in Gaza.

“Doctors told me they lacked the expertise and capacity to treat him. They put him on machines for several days, and then he passed away.

“I had wished for my son to live a normal life, that he would go to school, to university, get married, and that one day I would see his children, like any father in this world. But the occupation stole that joy from us.”

Rising illness

The health ministry has documented 64 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome and acute flaccid paralysis – another condition caused by infections – in the past two months. At least three people have died, two of them children under 15.

Before the war, the nerve condition was a “rarely occurring disease”, said Munir Al Bursh, the health ministry's director general. He said it often begins with weakness and tingling in the feet and legs, then spreads upwards to the arms and torso. In severe cases it can lead to total paralysis, he said.

The health system in Gaza is on the brink of collapse after Israel bombed hospitals and left others with extreme shortages of medicine, equipment and fuel – as they try to treat thousands of injured and chronically ill patients in wartime.

Israel's border closures have also cut off access to life-saving treatments abroad, leaving children with rare and severe conditions without suitable care. Infectious diseases are spreading rapidly in overcrowded shelters and devastated neighbourhoods.

As well as Guillain-Barré syndrome, doctors have warned of rising cases of diarrhoea, jaundice and meningitis. The testimonies of doctors and parents in Gaza echo the same urgent plea: without immediate intervention, more children will suffer and die needlessly.