STORY: At a hospital in Gaza City, Nasma Ayad fears time is running out for her starving eight-year-old daughter Jana to avoid the fate of her sister, who died last month.
Jana has difficulty moving and speaking and urgently needs medical evacuation, Ayad says…
…as Israel comes under mounting international pressure over the devastation of Gaza since the start of the war and growing starvation among its 2.2 million inhabitants.
“My daughter bit by bit will have vision complications. Even her legs, she can’t even move her legs to go to the toilet. Bit by bit, I feel I’m slowly losing my daughter, day after day – the things she suffers from are multiplying.”
Jana’s sister Joury died on July 20.
The child had kidney problems exacerbated by malnutrition, her mother said.
:: June 22, 2024
Jana received treatment for malnutrition last year at a clinic in Deir al-Balah after showing signs of weakness and delayed growth.
She has relapsed because of struggling healthcare services and the scarcity of food, Ayad says.
Health officials added Jana and Joury to a list of patients who were in need of evacuation last September.
Those evacuations never transpired.
It’s too late for Joury, but Ayad still holds out some hope for Jana.
“Until now, my daughter’s referral has been on hold because of the siege, the closure of the borders and the circumstances we are living in. I am calling for the urgent referral of Jana as soon as possible for treatment outside the country.”
Gazan health authorities say more than 150 people have now died from hunger-related causes, among them at least 90 children.
Most died in the past few weeks.
