Nassim Mahra, a ten-year-old who requires regular kidney dialysis, fears he may never see his family again after Israeli forces detained his father while taking him to a hospital in southern Gaza for treatment. A neighbor took Nassim to Abu Yusuf al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah yesterday after the boy became separated from his family amid intensifying Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
While connected to the dialysis machine, Nassim expressed his fear that death might come before he has a chance to see his family and relatives again, mentioning that he hasn't seen his mother in weeks. He conveyed his wish for the war to end so he could return home and resume a normal life.
Additionally, his neighbor, Adel Haniya, noted that he saw Nassim while heading to southern Gaza with his own children and agreed to take care of him. He added that Nassim's father was detained at an Israeli army checkpoint. Haniya explained that Nassim's situation is critical as he requires special food, and they are sleeping in a mosque, going to the hospital in donkey-drawn carts. He also mentioned waiting in line for hours for the boy's turn for dialysis.
The Palestinian Red Crescent states that "Israeli bombing of the main roads in Gaza severely hampers the movement of ambulances and other emergency vehicles." Doctors at the hospital in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, highlighted that "fuel shortages and insufficient medical supplies make working conditions there extremely difficult."
Dr. Ihab al-Maashar, a kidney department head, stated that the hospital has 17 dialysis beds that typically serve 120 patients, but currently, 350 patients are forced to use these beds, leading to daily breakdowns of the equipment due to overuse. He lamented the loss of patients every day and prayed for an end to the difficult situation.
Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip and heavily bombarded significant parts of it since October 7, when militants from Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing what Israel claims to be 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. Authorities in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip report that more than 20,400 people have died as a result of the Israeli military operation, with thousands more believed to have died with their bodies still trapped under the rubble.
