GAZA, September 27, 2025 (WAFA) – Newborns in the Gaza Strip are facing a severe health and humanitarian crisis, including cases of respiratory distress, amid a crippling shortage of medicines and medical supplies caused by Israel's closure of border crossings coinciding with the genocidal war that has been ongoing for nearly two years.

The internal and external nursery at Al-Tahrir Hospital in Nasser Medical Complex in the southern Gaza Strip have become a stark symbol of this catastrophe, where premature and newborn infants struggle to survive under harsh conditions.

A video published on social media by Anadolu Agency showed heartbreaking scenes of families sleeping on the floor with their infants in the external nursery at Al-Tahrir Hospital, after their health deteriorated due to the majority of them suffering from respiratory distress and overcrowding.

In some cases, three infants are forced to share a single bed to receive healthcare, which is scarce due to the shortage of medicines and medical supplies.

The internal nursery is also overcrowded with premature infants and newborns suffering from respiratory distress.

Hospital Director Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra explained in a recorded statement that Gaza is currently suffering from a severe wave of bronchitis."

Overcrowding of Patients

As he toured the outpatient nursery, Al-Farra said that the area is "crowded with children less than a month old, suffering from breathing difficulties amid unprecedented humanitarian and health conditions."

He added, "The children are sleeping on the floor. Some of them cannot find a mattress (floor) to sleep on, so blankets are used instead. Others are sleeping directly on the floor."

Due to the overcrowding, Al-Farra said, "Doctors and nurses are forced to share one bed between three children, despite the risk of infection due to the lack of beds."

In addition, according to Al-Farra, "oxygen is provided to children with breathing difficulties based on priority, due to the lack of availability."

Lack of Supplies and Care

Premature newborns are also suffering from a "health crisis due to the lack of incubators and medical supplies," according to Al-Farra.

He said, "In the inpatient (inpatient) nursery, there are six premature babies suffering from respiratory distress, some of whom require oxygen."

Al-Farra noted that some babies "are experiencing respiratory failure, forcing them to use ventilators."

He pointed out that "the number of premature babies in the Gaza Strip is increasing, as one of the complications of the genocidal war that Israel continues to wage, as they are born before their natural due date."

He said that "overcrowding and a shortage of medical personnel are causing confusion among available staff due to the large number of cases."

Al-Farra warned that overcrowding "increases the chances of respiratory infections being transmitted," calling for "support for these children's right to receive the necessary healthcare." He continued, "Children cannot be punished for their only crime: being born in Gaza."

Al-Farra called for "an end to the genocidal war and the reactivation of hospitals, especially nurseries, to accommodate these large numbers of sick children."

Since the beginning of the genocide on October 7, 2023, the occupying army has deliberately targeted the health sector directly, bombing, destroying, or disabling 38 hospitals, 96 healthcare centers, and 197 ambulances.

This targeting, which coincided with a blockade that was tightened on March 2, preventing the entry of medical, relief, and food aid into the Gaza Strip except in very limited quantities, has exacerbated the deterioration of the health sector and the suffering of patients.

The pressure on the health system is increasing due to the spread of diseases, particularly infectious diseases, imposed by forced displacement. Gaza's hospitals have recorded 2,142,000 cases of infectious diseases and 71,338 cases of hepatitis since the beginning of the genocide.

More than once, international human rights and health organizations have warned of the risk of a complete collapse of the health system in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli attacks and restrictions it is subjected to.

Y.S