The tragedy of the war in the Gaza Strip is embodied in the details of bodies melted by fire, where the effects of deep burns remain a testament to the targeting of displacement tents and civilian homes. Among thousands of cases, the story of journalist Ahmed Mansour stands out, whose body was consumed by fire after a missile strike on a journalists' tent in Khan Yunis, his image merely a glimpse of a painful reality experienced by the wounded away from the spotlight.
In the northern part of the Strip, five-year-old Rital Halawa endures severe suffering inside a displacement tent, with burns covering the left side of her face and chest. Rital was injured by a bomb dropped by a 'quadcopter' drone while she was playing, which caused her small body to catch fire, resulting in second and third-degree burns.
Rital's family faces complex medical challenges, as anesthesia sessions have been stopped for fear of brain cell damage, leading to the formation of waxy tissue and severe infections. Her mother confirms that the currently available treatment is limited to simple painkillers, while the child urgently needs to travel abroad to save what can be saved of her features and body functions.
In displacement centers, Kamal Naseer recounts the details of his injury, which occurred in Beit Hanoun, when shelling directly targeted his home, causing a massive fire. Naseer tried to extinguish the flames with his hands, but they consumed his leg, leaving deep scars that refuse to heal due to the lack of a suitable healthy environment and essential medical supplies.
Naseer suffers from the absence of the simplest types of ointments and sterile medical gauze, which exacerbates his health condition day after day under harsh displacement conditions. Despite doctors' recommendations for him to travel for reconstructive treatment, the closure of crossings and imposed restrictions prevent him from reaching specialized hospitals outside the Strip.
As for the child Raneen Jundiya, her life turned into hell after suffering severe burns to the lower part of her body while trying to escape shelling that targeted the Al-Mawasi area. The injury caused gradual hardening of the skin on her feet, which now threatens her ability to walk normally and leaves her confined to the tent, suffering from continuous, relentless pain.
Dr. Mahmoud Mahani, head of the plastic surgery department at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, explains that the injured suffer from complex complications including hypertrophic and fibrotic scars. These cases require precise surgical interventions and the use of advanced techniques such as cortisone injections and silicone sheets, materials that are severely lacking in the Strip due to the ongoing siege.
Mahani points out that the danger lies in the tightening of scars around vital joints, which can lead to permanent motor disabilities and complete disfigurement of the normal functions of the limbs. Medical teams are making strenuous efforts to provide available treatment, but the absence of specialized equipment such as tissue expanders limits the success of reconstructive surgical operations.
For his part, Dr. Fahd Al-Madhoun from Doctors Without Borders revealed shocking statistics, stating that about 35% of war wounded suffered burns of varying severity. He confirmed that most of these injuries are third-degree, which are the most severe types of burns requiring intensive rehabilitation and surgical programs that can last for more than a full year.
Al-Madhoun warned that the health system is facing an unprecedented supply crisis, as no new medical equipment has entered the organization since the beginning of this year. This interruption threatens to halt the specialized medical services provided to burn victims, meaning thousands of patients will be left to face their fate with pain and permanent deformities.
Delayed surgical intervention for burn victims leads to the exacerbation of fibrotic tissues and joint stiffness, which leaves long-term psychological and physical effects on the victims. Medical sources appeal to the international community to pressure for the opening of crossings and to facilitate the entry of specialized medical supplies and surgical delegations to save the injured.
The stories of Rital, Raneen, and Kamal remain mere examples of thousands of cases living in displacement tents without adequate medical care, as hospitals lack precise surgical tools. Doctors confirm that the continuation of the current situation will turn these injured into an army of disabled people, as a result of injuries that could have been treated if the necessary capabilities were available.
Concerns are growing about the spread of bacterial infections among the injured due to environmental contamination in displacement camps and the lack of clean water and disinfectants. Open burns are a fertile environment for microbes, which puts the lives of the injured in constant danger, extending beyond mere skin disfigurement to the risk of blood poisoning.
Ultimately, the issue of burn victims in Gaza remains a bleeding wound that requires urgent international action to break the medical siege and provide safe passages for the wounded. Every day of delayed treatment means a lost opportunity for these children and young people to regain their normal lives, away from the pain of unhealing scars.
About 35% of all war injuries in Gaza were accompanied by burns, most of which were third-degree, requiring treatment that extends for a full year.
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Unhealing Scars: Thousands of Burn Victims in Gaza Face Risk of Permanent Disability Amidst Medical Siege