They survived the bombs, but not the virus: Fatal illness spreads in Gaza
Even in her worst nightmares, Marwa Kalloub never imagined that her daughter Mariam would leave hospital lifeless after being admitted with flu-like symptoms.
The 38-year-old mother believed her child’s natural immunity and basic medication would be enough.
But in Gaza, where months of Israeli starvation have weakened immunity and the health system has collapsed, a routine illness proved fatal.
“Mariam had no prior health problems,” her aunt, Iman Kalloub, told Middle East Eye.
“Before she died, Mariam had a severe cough, nausea and a high fever. She stopped eating completely,” Kalloub added.
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“So many people in Gaza were sick with this virus that we expected her recovery to take time. We never imagined it would end like this.”
In recent weeks, a mutated virus has been spreading rapidly across Gaza, striking communities already weakened by two years of genocide and a collapsing health system.
Health authorities have yet to identify the virus with certainty, citing limited testing capacity and severe shortages of medical equipment, leaving residents exposed to its unpredictable effects.
Mariam, eight, was admitted to Rantisi Hospital on 11 January, which was once a major centre for treating children with kidney disease and cancer.
Now, after repeated damage to Gaza’s health infrastructure by Israeli forces, it has been repurposed to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, as well as chronic conditions.
Despite efforts by the Palestinian Ministry of Health to repair the hospital and restore services, the facility is overwhelmed.
'Two years of war didn’t kill her. A small virus did'
- Iman Kalloub, Palestinian aunt
Mariam’s mother rushed her to the hospital after she developed severe breathing difficulties.
“She waited for hours before seeing a paediatrician, because of the overwhelming number of sick children,” said Kalloub.
Doctors carried out scans and found her lungs were in a critical state, she added. Treatment was almost impossible.
“All they could do was give her oxygen. They could not even provide intravenous nutrition. Perhaps they knew they could not save her.”
The family had welcomed the ceasefire in October with hope. They began repairing a home and sent Mariam back to attend educational classes.
That a child who survived months of bombardment would die from a virus was incomprehensible.
“Two years of war didn’t kill her. A small virus did,” said Kalloub.
'Could have been prevented'
As hospitals urge families to keep children at home and limit contact, fear has spread across Gaza as a fast-moving illness sweeps through the population.
Doctors have yet to identify the disease or mount an effective response amid a health system devastated by two years of Israeli genocide.
“Gaza is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis because of the Israeli blockade,” said Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City.
“There is hardly a household without someone infected,” he said, adding the virus could be influenza, a mutated strain, or even Covid-19.
“Emergency admissions have risen by around 200 percent, with most patients suffering respiratory infections, high fever, severe weight loss and joint pain,” said Abu Salmiya.
Severe pneumonia cases have forced thousands into the hospital, some into intensive care. Deaths have also been recorded.
A November 2025 report by the World Health Organization-led Health Cluster said most medical facilities in Gaza were unable to provide full services.
It found that 55 percent of essential medicines were unavailable and 71 percent of basic medical supplies were out of stock.
“We lack medicines and laboratory equipment, making diagnosis and treatment extremely difficult,” Abu Salmiya said.
“Bed occupancy has reached 150 to 200 percent because of the surge in patients.”
He said overcrowded displacement camps, leaking tents, contaminated water and weakened immunity were driving the spread of infection.
“Children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with chronic illnesses are most at risk,” he said.
“Famine and malnutrition have severely compromised immune systems, leading to complications and deaths, including among dialysis, cancer and heart patients. The collapse of immunity has led to the spread of disease.”
Despite a ceasefire that began on 10 October, UN agencies said last month that 77 percent of Gaza’s population still faces acute food insecurity, leaving many highly vulnerable to disease.
“Despite the dedication of medical staff working with minimal resources to save lives, we feel deep sorrow that many victims have lost their lives for reasons that could have been prevented,” Abu Salmiya said.
'I couldn’t cope'
Doctors interviewed by MEE say patients infected with the virus show similar symptoms, most commonly high fever, severe joint pain and persistent coughing.
Among children, symptoms often last about five days, subside briefly, then return.
Laila Mohammad, a teacher and mother, said both her children were ill for more than a month.
“I couldn’t cope with their illness at home,” she told MEE.
“I kept taking them to nearby medical points for nebuliser treatment. They had breathing difficulties, severe joint pain and dangerously high fevers that did not respond to medication.”
'What makes this illness so hard to fight is prolonged malnutrition'
- Laila Mohammad, Palestinian teacher and mother
Through her work, Mohammad has seen the virus spread rapidly in classrooms, with many students absent for long periods.
“What makes this illness so hard to fight is prolonged malnutrition,” she said.
“Children’s bodies are weakened by starvation and cannot resist disease.”
Thousands of families with sick children now wait for hours in clinics and hospital corridors. Most cannot afford private care, increasing both their suffering and the risk of further infection.
Mohammad described the financial situation of students at her school as catastrophic. Many families cannot buy medicines unavailable in hospitals, leaving children to endure pain and illness without antibiotics or pain relief.
During a two-year genocide, Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza, leading to famine affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
Israeli forces also attacked almost all hospitals and clinics, destroying some entirely and pushing Gaza’s health system to the brink of collapse.
Israeli bombing killed more than 71,500 people, and wounded more than 170,000.
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