By Reem Sweisi
GAZA, March 27, 2026 (WAFA) - The cries of 28-day-old Adam Al-Ustaz that night were unlike any other. They were piercing, desperate screams that jolted his father awake inside the displacement tent where the family had taken shelter in the Al-Maqousi area, west of Gaza City. When he rushed to his child, he found the infant's face covered in blood, with deep bite marks on his tiny cheek left by a large rat.
Adam now lies under medical observation at Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital after surviving an attack that could have caused far more severe injuries—an incident that reflects the harsh daily reality faced by thousands of displaced families across the Gaza Strip.
His father, Youssef Al-Ustaz, recounts the moment in a voice still marked by shock and fear. “I woke up around 1:00 am to the sound of interrupted crying,” he said. “When I got closer, I saw blood covering my baby's face, and the rat running out of the tent. I immediately carried him to the hospital. I was thinking of nothing except saving him.”
Inside the thin canvas tent, where there are no secure doors or reliable means of protection, the family shares their space with rodents that have become a constant presence in the camps.
Al-Ustaz says the family lives in extremely harsh conditions, with little sense of safety and no resources to deal with the infestation. “We cannot even afford simple ways to keep these animals away,” he said, describing how poverty and the loss of income have left many displaced families unable to protect themselves.
Adam, who has not yet completed his first month of life, is not an isolated case. Displaced families report repeated incidents involving rodents in the camps, where overcrowding, waste accumulation, and deteriorating living conditions have created an environment where such threats are increasingly common—especially for vulnerable children.
The Al-Ustaz family has been displaced multiple times since the beginning of the war, after their home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood was destroyed. They eventually found refuge in a tent that lacks even the most basic necessities. Each night brings new hardship—cold weather, rainwater seeping into the shelter, and the constant fear of what may happen while they sleep.
At the hospital, doctors are working to treat Adam's wounds and prevent bacterial infection, a serious risk in injuries caused by rodents. Meanwhile, his parents remain at his bedside, anxiously watching over their newborn.
What should have been a routine night sleep instead turned into a frightening ordeal—one that underscores the dangers surrounding children growing up in Gaza's displacement camps.
M.N
