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Gaza: Three deaths linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome confirmed by UN agencies

© UNICEF/Abed Zaqout
A mother cares for her daughter at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
August 7, 2025 Peace and security As the spread of disease continues to overwhelm Gaza's already overwhelmed health system with extremely high bed occupancy rates, UN agencies have confirmed the deaths of three Palestinians with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition that can cause sudden muscle weakness or even paralysis.
Two of the victims were children under 15, who died "due to lack of access to life-saving treatment" due to the blockade imposed by Israel on the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
"The Gaza Ministry of Health has warned that the lack of necessary treatment risks worsening the situation," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA ) detailed in its latest report.
The Humanitarian Health Cluster notes that specialist rehabilitation facilities, including Hamad, Al Amal and Al Wafaa hospitals, are overwhelmed with cases of trauma (complex polytrauma) and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
© UNICEF/Eyad El Baba
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Many cases reported in densely populated areas
The World Health Organization ( WHO ), which is alarmed by "a worrying increase" in cases, notes that 30% of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome must be admitted to an intensive care unit.
According to Gazan health authorities, 64 cases, including 27 in children under 15, have been recorded, according to a count carried out on July 31, 2025, compared to only five cases per year before the escalation of the conflict in October 2023. Of these, 32 cases were recorded in Khan Younis governorate (50%), 28 in Gaza governorate (44%), and four in Deir al Balah governorate (6%).
Although many cases have been reported in densely populated areas, particularly in Khan Younis and Gaza governorates, no clusters of cases have been reported in defined geographical areas. According to the WHO, there is currently no available stock of intravenous immunoglobulin, the main drug used to treat Guillain-Barré syndrome.
The collapse of the hospital system in Gaza has led to the deaths of several thousand people due to a lack of treatment for their illnesses. These deaths are not included in the daily tallies published by the Gazan authorities, which report at least 61,158 Palestinians directly killed by Israeli gunfire or bombardment since the beginning of the war.
What is Guillain-Barré syndrome?
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a neurological and autoimmune disease that affects the nervous system and causes progressive muscle paralysis. This syndrome is not contagious and is often triggered by a previous infection, whether viral or bacterial, that disrupts the immune system.
In most cases, patients can recover without after-effects within a few weeks. However, "even in the best health settings, 3% to 5% of patients die from complications of the disease, such as paralysis of the respiratory muscles, sepsis, pulmonary embolism, or cardiac arrest," summarizes the UN global health agency.
Malnutrition, constant displacement following evacuation orders from the Israeli army, overcrowding in makeshift camps, lack of sanitation and scarcity of drinking water have already caused several epidemics of infectious diseases in the besieged enclave such as polio, cholera, hepatitis A and scabies since the start of the Israeli offensive in October 2023.
420 suspected cases of meningitis
In addition to the outbreak of Guillain-Barré syndrome, the enclave is facing the threat of a bacterial disease. According to OCHA, 420 suspected cases of meningitis were reported during the month of July. This is the "highest number recorded" since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Of these, 197 cases were recorded in Khan Younis governorate, 150 in Gaza governorate, and 73 in Deir al-Balah.
The destruction of the WHO's main medical warehouse in Deir al-Balah has led to a critical shortage of antibiotics, essential for the treatment of meningitis.
To make matters worse, Gaza's hospitals are also overwhelmed by "an influx of wounded that is beyond their capacity."
Bed occupancy rates in trauma hospitals have increased significantly: 300% at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, 240% at Al-Shifa Hospital, 210% at Al Rantisi
Hospital, and 180% at Nasser Hospital. Hospitals are thus forced to place patients on the floor and in corridors due to a lack of available beds.
UN News
Women and children wait for food at a community kitchen in western Gaza City.
Acute malnutrition
Meanwhile, the worsening famine observed in recent weeks in the Palestinian enclave has brought the total number of Palestinians who have died from malnutrition to 193 people, including 96 children, according to a count carried out on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
This figure includes five people who died in hospitals the day before yesterday, Tuesday.
Nearly 12,000 children under five in Gaza were suffering from acute malnutrition in July, the highest monthly figure ever recorded, according to the Nutrition Cluster.
Among these children, more than 2,500 are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, 40 of whom have been hospitalized in stabilization centers.
And in the besieged enclave, even aid workers are not spared from suffering.
"I know one meal isn't enough, but maybe it's enough to keep us alive," said X, an employee of the UN refugee agency for Palestinian refugees ( UNRWA ), on social media. "This is the reality for our UNRWA colleagues in Gaza: exhausted, dizzy, and hungry, they still serve the community."
https://news.un.org/fr/story/2025/08/1157253
Gaza: Three deaths linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome confirmed by UN agencies

© UNICEF/Abed Zaqout
A mother cares for her daughter at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
August 7, 2025 Peace and security As the spread of disease continues to overwhelm Gaza's already overwhelmed health system with extremely high bed occupancy rates, UN agencies have confirmed the deaths of three Palestinians with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition that can cause sudden muscle weakness or even paralysis.
Two of the victims were children under 15, who died "due to lack of access to life-saving treatment" due to the blockade imposed by Israel on the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
"The Gaza Ministry of Health has warned that the lack of necessary treatment risks worsening the situation," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA ) detailed in its latest report.
The Humanitarian Health Cluster notes that specialist rehabilitation facilities, including Hamad, Al Amal and Al Wafaa hospitals, are overwhelmed with cases of trauma (complex polytrauma) and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

© UNICEF/Eyad El Baba
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
Many cases reported in densely populated areas
The World Health Organization ( WHO ), which is alarmed by "a worrying increase" in cases, notes that 30% of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome must be admitted to an intensive care unit.
According to Gazan health authorities, 64 cases, including 27 in children under 15, have been recorded, according to a count carried out on July 31, 2025, compared to only five cases per year before the escalation of the conflict in October 2023. Of these, 32 cases were recorded in Khan Younis governorate (50%), 28 in Gaza governorate (44%), and four in Deir al Balah governorate (6%).
Although many cases have been reported in densely populated areas, particularly in Khan Younis and Gaza governorates, no clusters of cases have been reported in defined geographical areas. According to the WHO, there is currently no available stock of intravenous immunoglobulin, the main drug used to treat Guillain-Barré syndrome.
The collapse of the hospital system in Gaza has led to the deaths of several thousand people due to a lack of treatment for their illnesses. These deaths are not included in the daily tallies published by the Gazan authorities, which report at least 61,158 Palestinians directly killed by Israeli gunfire or bombardment since the beginning of the war.
What is Guillain-Barré syndrome?
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a neurological and autoimmune disease that affects the nervous system and causes progressive muscle paralysis. This syndrome is not contagious and is often triggered by a previous infection, whether viral or bacterial, that disrupts the immune system.
In most cases, patients can recover without after-effects within a few weeks. However, "even in the best health settings, 3% to 5% of patients die from complications of the disease, such as paralysis of the respiratory muscles, sepsis, pulmonary embolism, or cardiac arrest," summarizes the UN global health agency.
Malnutrition, constant displacement following evacuation orders from the Israeli army, overcrowding in makeshift camps, lack of sanitation and scarcity of drinking water have already caused several epidemics of infectious diseases in the besieged enclave such as polio, cholera, hepatitis A and scabies since the start of the Israeli offensive in October 2023.
420 suspected cases of meningitis
In addition to the outbreak of Guillain-Barré syndrome, the enclave is facing the threat of a bacterial disease. According to OCHA, 420 suspected cases of meningitis were reported during the month of July. This is the "highest number recorded" since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Of these, 197 cases were recorded in Khan Younis governorate, 150 in Gaza governorate, and 73 in Deir al-Balah.
The destruction of the WHO's main medical warehouse in Deir al-Balah has led to a critical shortage of antibiotics, essential for the treatment of meningitis.
To make matters worse, Gaza's hospitals are also overwhelmed by "an influx of wounded that is beyond their capacity."
Bed occupancy rates in trauma hospitals have increased significantly: 300% at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, 240% at Al-Shifa Hospital, 210% at Al Rantisi
Hospital, and 180% at Nasser Hospital. Hospitals are thus forced to place patients on the floor and in corridors due to a lack of available beds.

UN News
Women and children wait for food at a community kitchen in western Gaza City.
Acute malnutrition
Meanwhile, the worsening famine observed in recent weeks in the Palestinian enclave has brought the total number of Palestinians who have died from malnutrition to 193 people, including 96 children, according to a count carried out on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
This figure includes five people who died in hospitals the day before yesterday, Tuesday.
Nearly 12,000 children under five in Gaza were suffering from acute malnutrition in July, the highest monthly figure ever recorded, according to the Nutrition Cluster.
Among these children, more than 2,500 are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, 40 of whom have been hospitalized in stabilization centers.
And in the besieged enclave, even aid workers are not spared from suffering.
"I know one meal isn't enough, but maybe it's enough to keep us alive," said X, an employee of the UN refugee agency for Palestinian refugees ( UNRWA ), on social media. "This is the reality for our UNRWA colleagues in Gaza: exhausted, dizzy, and hungry, they still serve the community."
https://news.un.org/fr/story/2025/08/1157253











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