<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">Gaza doctors battle 'untreatable super-bacteria' that defies medical science</h1><p class="gmail-">The
health sector in northern Gaza is on the verge of completely collapsing
as the last remaining hospitals come under brutal Israeli attacks </p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">News Desk</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span>NOV 22, 2024 -<font size="1"> </font></span><font size="1"><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/gaza-doctors-battle-untreateable-super-bacteria-that-defies-medical-science">https://thecradle.co/articles/gaza-doctors-battle-untreateable-super-bacteria-that-defies-medical-science</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="http://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/e07e7e14-a8c9-11ef-86e1-00163e02c055.webp" alt="" width="469" height="264" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>(Photo credit: AA/Getty Images)</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span><p>As
Israeli forces continue their attacks on hospitals in Gaza, doctors and
medical teams in the strip have been working under intense pressure,
and with great difficulty, to treat illnesses and injuries due to the
lack of proper medication and the rapid spread of bacteria.</p><span></span><p>“The
medical teams in Gaza are fighting a fierce battle against bacteria,
which no longer respond to most antibiotics,” said Izzedin Shaheen, a
doctor in the besieged enclave, via X on 21 November. </p><p>“Hardly any
person with a wound infection survives, no matter how hard the doctors
try. All the conditions are bad – no sterilization and no sufficient
antibiotics. We have even found E. Coli bacteria in bone tissue, which
is unfamiliar in medical books,” Shaheen added. </p><p>The continued
acceleration of the health crisis in Gaza coincides with Tel Aviv’s
Generals’ Plan, which Israel is unofficially implementing in the
northern strip, which has been besieged for nearly two months. The
Israeli army has expelled over 100,000 Palestinians from the north,
aiming to transform the area into an isolated military zone. </p><p>Former Israeli general Giora Eiland, the man behind the Generals’ Plan, <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/former-israel-general-says-severe-epidemics-gaza-would-help-israel-win">said</a>
on 17 November: “The international community warns us of a humanitarian
disaster in Gaza and of severe epidemics. We must not shy away from
this, as difficult as that may be. After all, severe epidemics in the
south of the Gaza Strip will bring victory closer and reduce casualties
among IDF soldiers.” </p><p>International organizations have repeatedly warned over the months that Israel’s war in Gaza has resulted in a severe health <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/public-health-impact-forced-mass-displacement-july-2024">crisis</a>
and the spread of numerous illnesses, particularly due to forced
displacement orders against Palestinians – which crams the displaced
into small areas that lack basic supplies and facilities for hygiene. </p><p>The Israeli army has subjected <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/11/14/hopeless-starving-and-besieged/israels-forced-displacement-palestinians-gaza#:~:text=Israel's%20military%20has%20displaced%2090,population%2C%20around%201.9%20million%20people.">90 percent</a> of the Gaza Strip’s population to forced displacement. </p><p>As
the Generals’ Plan unfolds, Israel has tightened its siege and
increased attacks on the few remaining hospitals in northern Gaza. </p><p>Beit Lahia’s <a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/final-distress-call-from-gazas-kamal-adwan-hospital-as-israel-turns-facility-into-kill-zone">Kamal Adwan Hospital</a>
has been under heavy attack. Israel bombarded the hospital late on 21
November, injuring six of its medical staff, including some who are in
critical condition. The hospital’s main generator was destroyed, and its
water tanks were punctured. </p><span></span><p>The
attack came less than a day after a massacre was committed by Israel on
a residential block in the hospital’s vicinity. At least 66 were<a href="https://nna-leb.gov.lb/en/regional/740624/in-new-israeli-massacre-66-civilians-killed-and-ot"> killed</a>
and more than 100 injured by the bombing. Around 200 people were
present at the time of the attack, according to Kamal Adwan Hospital
director Dr Hussam Abu Safia.</p><p>“The health system is collapsing in northern Gaza. We cannot provide anything, and all of our appeals are in vain," he said.</p><p>Abu
Safia has appealed for immediate intervention from the international
community. Around 80 people are at risk of death inside the facility,
including eight who are in intensive care. </p><span></span><p>An
Israeli quadcopter targeted medical staff at Al-Awda Hospital in
northern Gaza early on Friday, hours after the latest attack on Kamal
Adwan Hospital. </p></span></div></div></div></div>
</div>