Burn patients face strong recovery amid drug shortages under lockdown in Gaza, Israel
Hamza Abu Shabab's mother took off her shirt and put her bandaged head back on his pillow so she could apply ointment to his small, burning body.
The seven-year-old suffered a third-degree burn on his head, neck and shoulders, and when he was frightened by an Israeli air strike, he sprinkled a plate of hot rice and lentils in his family’s tent last month in southern Gaza.
Israel's lockdown has slowed his recovery and is now in its third month, banning all medicines, food, fuel and other commodities into Gaza. His mother, Iman Abu Shabab, said his burn was infected – the boy's immune system was weakened by malnutrition and the supply of antibiotics was restricted.
“If there was no siege, or that was another country, he would be treated and healed by the wounds,” she said at her son's bedside at Khan Younis' Nasser Hospital.
Since March 2, Israel's lockdown has forced hospitals and clinics in Gaza to expand limited medicines, even as demand increases. The lack of supply is especially incredible for burn patients.
The burns are painful and prone to infection, but hospitals including Nasser lack painkillers, anesthetics, dressings and sanitary materials, Julie Faucon, the medical coordinator in Gaza, and the occupied West Bank doctors with the doctor.
Burning cases surge
Since Israel resumed bombing across Gaza in mid-March, the number of patients with strike-related burns entering Nasser Hospital has increased from five times to 20 times a day, supporting the facility. The burns are also bigger, covering up to 40% of people's bodies, Faucon said.
She said some patients died because burns can affect their respiratory tract and breathing, or because they have a serious infection.
Although strikes are the main cause of burns, people also seek treatment for accidents such as spilling hot liquids. This is partly due to dirty living conditions, where thousands of displaced Palestinians squeeze into tents and crowded shelters, often cooking on wood fires.
Children in Gaza show signs of acute malnutrition as Israel’s aid lockdown stretches into the third month. Israel said it plans to take over the aid allocation in the coming weeks and approved plans to capture the entire Gaza Strip for unspecified times.
Hamza is one of more than 70 patients (as many people) in the burn and orthopedic wards of Nasser Hospital, with more streaming care every day.
Hamza had nine surgeries, including four faces, his mother said. She said the hospital used up liquid painkillers for children and he tried to swallow larger pills.
Lack of food also slows down recovery
In another room, four-year-old Layan Ibrahim Sahloul sat in frustrated in her doll with a second-degree burn on her face, feet and stomach. A week ago, she killed her pregnant mother and two siblings at the house strike of Khan Younis, burying her under the ruins.
Her aunt, Raga Sahloul, said Layan was difficult to move and had withdrawn and was in a state of fear. She said she also suffers from malnutrition.
“I'm afraid it will take her months rather than weeks to recover,” her aunt said.
The number of malnourished children has swelled amid Israel’s ban on food in Gaza, and aid groups warn that people are starving. Health professionals say that without proper nutrition, patients’ recovery will slow down and their bodies cannot fight the infection.
According to two Israeli officials who decided to expand Gaza's Netania security cabinet meeting this week without being named, the company was told “at this time there is enough food in Gaza.”
Israel said its blockade and re-enactment military campaign aims to put pressure on Hamas to release its remaining 59 hostages and join Israel's demand for disarmament. Rights groups say the lockdown is a “hunger policy” and a potential war crime.
The United Nations warns that Gaza's health care system is on the verge of collapse, flooded by the casualties of essential drugs.
Life in a tent brings pain
Doctors said they are also concerned about the prospect of long-term care for burn patients. Many people require reconstruction surgery, but few plastic surgeons stay in Gaza. AIDS staff said Israel has increasingly refused entry from international medical staff in recent weeks, although some continue to visit.
At the end of April, 10-year-old Mira Al-Hazandar had severely burned his arms and chest when a strike near her tent was on hold. Fearing that she would have permanent scars, her mother's comb pharmacy was looking for ointment.
Mira was able to return to her family’s tent to recover, but her mother, Haneen Al-Hazandar, said she suffered from the pain of sand and mosquitoes there. She had to go to the hospital regularly, which could potentially infect burns and cause pain, standing in the sun waiting for transportation.
“She is slowly recovering because there is no treatment, no medicine, no food,” she said. “She is tired and can't fall asleep all night due to pain – even if I give her medicine, it won't help.”
