SHOTLIST:

KHAN YUNIS, PALESTINE (AUGUST 6, 2025) (ANADOLU – ACCESS ALL)

1. DOCTOR MONITORING CHILD PATIENT IN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

2. VARIOUS OF UNCONSCIOUS CHILD ON HOSPITAL BED UNDER TREATMENT

3. (SOUNBITE) (Arabic) DOCTOR AHMED AL-FERRA SAYING:

"We are in the intensive care unit at Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza. We are treating a growing number of children with Guillain-Barre syndrome. This neurological condition begins with weakness in the lower limbs and can spread to the upper body and respiratory system. Some cases require mechanical ventilation.

Before the war, we saw only one or two cases a year. Now, we have documented 47 cases in children under the age of 15 — and a similar number in older patients. Treating these children is extremely difficult. We don’t have MRI or EMG machines. We lack nerve testing tools and critical medications, such as intravenous immunoglobulin. Three children have already died. Blood samples sent abroad confirmed the syndrome is caused by enteroviruses, likely due to contaminated drinking water. This is a warning sign of a serious public health crisis in Gaza."

4. VARIOUS OF GIRL RECEIVING TREATMENT

5. (SOUNBITE) (Arabic) MOTHER OF GIRL, MARAM TALAB AL-ZAARAB, SAYING:

"My daughter Maram is 11 years old. She previously had hearing problems and received a cochlear implant. For five months, we couldn’t charge the device due to a lack of batteries. After we replaced them, she regained her hearing. But then, she suddenly lost the ability to walk. Doctors diagnosed her with Guillain-Barre syndrome. The treatment is not available in Gaza. Maram’s condition was caused by water contamination, vitamin deficiency, and malnutrition. Now, she can’t move, can’t use her hands, and can’t speak. Even eating and drinking are difficult for her."

6. MOTHER SITTING NEXT TO HER CHILD

7. VARIOUS OF MALNOURISHED CHILDREN LYING ON HOSPITAL BEDS

8. MOTHER PUSHING GIRL IN WHEELCHAIR IN HOSPITAL CORRIDORS (TWO SHOTS)

9. VARIOUS OF MALNOURISHED CHILDREN LYING ON HOSPITAL BEDS

10. MOTHER PUSHING CHILD IN WHEELCHAIR IN HOSPITAL CORRIDORS (TWO SHOTS) KHAN YUNIS, PALESTINE - AUGUST 6: Cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome are increasing in Gaza as the health system collapses under the ongoing Israeli blockade.

The Health Ministry in Gaza reported 95 new cases of the rare syndrome, including 45 children.

The condition, a rare neurological disorder, attacks the nervous system and may lead to paralysis or death.

"This neurological condition begins with weakness in the lower limbs and can spread to the upper body and respiratory system," Dr. Ahmed al-Ferra at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, explained.

"Before the war, we saw only one or two cases a year. Now we are treating dozens,” he noted, underlining the rise in numbers.

Pointing out that the blockade has left doctors without essential equipment, Al-Ferra said: "We don’t have MRI or EMG machines. We lack nerve testing tools and critical medications, such as intravenous immunoglobulin."

"This is a warning sign of a serious public health crisis in Gaza," the doctor cautioned.

Blood samples sent abroad confirmed that the syndrome is linked to enteroviruses, likely caused by contaminated drinking water.

Eleven-year-old Maram Talab al-Zaarab is one such case.

Her mother said doctors diagnosed her with Guillain-Barre syndrome and that the treatment is not available in Gaza.

"Maram’s condition was caused by water contamination, vitamin deficiency, and malnutrition. Now, she can’t move, can’t use her hands, and can’t speak. Even eating and drinking are difficult for her," she said.

Gaza’s healthcare system continues to collapse under the weight of severe shortages, compounded by months of Israeli bombardment and blockade.

International aid group Oxfam said on July 24 that Gaza is facing a deadly health crisis due to a lack of clean water, proper shelter, and collapsed healthcare services.

Israel has continued to impose a systematic starvation policy on approximately 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza by sealing off all crossings to aid shipments, which have been stranded at the border since March 2.

The blockade has pushed the enclave into famine.

The Health Ministry said on Sunday that the number of Palestinians who have died from starvation caused by the Israeli blockade has reached 175, including 93 children, since Israel’s genocide began in October 2023.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Reporting by Hani Alshaer / Writing by Mehmet Taha Mazi