Three sisters are battling a rare disease the Israeli blockade is preventing them from receiving treatment

Palestinian toddler Massa al-Khatib lies on a bed in the pediatric ward of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the besieged Gaza Strip. Her body is frail and her features pale, while tubes connect her small hand to IV drips that are trying to keep her alive.

Beside her sit her two sisters, who share the same illness, in a scene that encapsulates the tragedy of an entire family facing a rare genetic disorder that is ravaging the bodies of all three girls.

The girls’ father, Ahmed al-Khatib, says that his daughters have suffered from a rare immune system disease since birth, causing them frequent infections and stunted growth. He notes that their bodies do not respond to the conventional treatments available in the Gaza Strip.

He adds, “We received a medical referral for treatment abroad through the World Health Organization in 2024, but we haven’t been able to travel because of the closure of the crossings.” He emphasizes that Massa’s condition is constantly deteriorating and that she urgently needs a bone marrow transplant, which is unavailable in Gaza, putting her life in immediate danger.

For his part, the doctor overseeing her case, Iyad Abu Muailiq, explains that the child suffers from a rare genetic immune disorder that leads to severe weight loss and frequent bacterial and viral infections.

He points out that the current treatment protocol relies on administering specific doses of immune supplements, “but this treatment remains temporary, while the fundamental solution lies in a bone marrow transplant at specialized centers outside the Gaza Strip.”

He warns that the continuation of the current situation without urgent surgical intervention poses a real threat to her life, especially given the deteriorating state of the healthcare system in Gaza.

The girls’ mother, for her part, speaks of the dire humanitarian conditions the family