In an overcrowded ward filled with patients at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Musab al-Dibs lay in a bed in late July, his body frail, his eyes bulging, his arms and legs thinner than fingers.
He was barely conscious. But after months in a coma, it was progress.
Musab, 14, is suffering from severe malnutrition that has caused serious complications to his health, including drastic weight loss, high body temperature and loss of consciousness.
His mother, Sehnaj, 46, was trying to feed him. She was using a syringe filled with mashed vegetables she had obtained from the hospital’s pharmacy.
It was the only treatment available for Musab given the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system, severe medicine shortages and the near-total absence of food.
“When I saw my son in this condition, I didn’t recognize him. I fainted from the shock,” Sehnaj told The Electronic Intifada. ….more
