By Staff, Agencies

The Gaza Health Ministry has issued an urgent warning about a potential outbreak of Guillain-Barré Syndrome [GBS] in the besieged enclave, citing a sharp rise in acute flaccid paralysis cases among children and the complete unavailability of treatment options.

Munir Al-Bursh, the ministry’s director-general, stated Monday that the primary cause of GBS is believed to be contaminated water, as deteriorating sanitation infrastructure and the collapse of public health systems continue to fuel disease outbreaks.

The syndrome, which typically begins with leg paralysis and progresses upward, poses a grave risk to children in particular.

Describing the situation as one of “mass death,” Bursh stressed that civilians are dying not only from direct bombardment, but also from starvation at aid centers and preventable illnesses.

He underscored the catastrophic overcrowding in Gaza, with 40,000 people per square kilometer confined to just 18% of the territory’s landmass—conditions that facilitate the rapid spread of disease.

According to the ministry, over 18,000 children have been killed since the war began. The deepening health crisis is further compounded by 1,116 reported cases of meningitis in 2025, along with surging respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.

The total number of confirmed GBS cases has risen to 95, including 45 children, with patients experiencing severe breathing difficulties and loss of reflexes that can result in death.

Earlier in the day, the ministry reported three new deaths from GBS, including two children under 15. It warned that the continued blockade on medicines and infant formula threatens to plunge Gaza into the fifth stage of famine.

In the past 24 hours alone, five more people have died of starvation, raising the total to 180 hunger-related deaths—93 of them children.

The Health Ministry also revealed the detection of intestinal viruses unrelated to polio, calling it a “looming infectious disaster.”

It urged international humanitarian organizations to intervene immediately, deliver life-saving medications, and pressure the apartheid “Israeli” entity to end its siege. Restrictions imposed since March 2 have severely limited the entry of food and medical supplies.

In June and July alone, the ministry recorded 45 cases of acute flaccid paralysis—an unprecedented surge driven by widespread malnutrition, severe water contamination, and systemic medicine shortages.

The Health Ministry concluded by reiterating its call to the World Health Organization and the international community to prevent the complete collapse of Gaza’s public health system and avert further mass death.