In a grave development underscoring the total collapse of Gaza’s healthcare and environmental systems, the Ministry of Health has reported 95 cases of the rare Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), including 45 children, amid warnings of a “rapid and alarming” spread of the disease caused by contaminated water and malnutrition. These conditions stem directly from Israeli starvation policy imposed on civilians since the genocide began on 7 October 2023.
Dr Munir Al-Bursh, Director-General of Gaza’s Health Ministry, described the situation as “an unprecedented and alarming spike,” noting that in normal circumstances, such areas record no more than a single case annually.
The neurological syndrome, classified as a rare disease, causes a gradual loss of mobility, beginning in the lower limbs and potentially advancing to the respiratory system, leading to death if untreated.
Al-Bursh stressed that the rapid spread of this rare illness, particularly among children, is an indicator of Gaza’s collapsing health system and deepening humanitarian disaster, as the blockade continues to prevent the entry of essential medicines and nutritional supplies.
A day prior to this announcement, the Ministry had reported three deaths from Guillain-Barré Syndrome, including two children under the age of 15, linked to severe malnutrition and the lack of medication, marking yet another tragic failure of Gaza’s decimated healthcare system.
This comes weeks after the Ministry documented 45 cases of “acute flaccid paralysis” during June and July, attributed to deteriorating sanitary and health conditions in the besieged enclave.
Health experts warn that the spread of Guillain-Barré Syndrome could mark the onset of a wave of epidemics driven by malnutrition, contaminated water, and lack of shelter, particularly in overcrowded displacement centres devoid of even the most basic medical care.
Alongside relentless bombing and direct killings, the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system constitutes another tool of genocide against over two million civilians. While some victims die under the rubble, others perish silently in hospital corridors or displacement tents from treatable diseases.
For over 10 months, Gaza has endured an all-out genocidal war involving mass destruction, starvation, and forced displacement under US backing and international silence. The campaign has killed or injured more than 210,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them children and women, in addition to over 9,000 missing and hundreds of thousands displaced, who now face hunger, disease, and death at every turn.
