Children with kidney disease in Gaza struggling to survive at Al-Rantisi Hospital

Despite sustaining damage in Israeli attacks, Al-Rantisi Hospital for Children, the only facility providing dialysis services for children in northern Gaza, is struggling to continue treatment for kidney failure under dire conditions.

Since Israel launched its military operations on Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza's health care system has been devastated. Of the 38 hospitals in the enclave, 34 have been put out of service, either burned or destroyed, including the largest, Al-Shifa Hospital.

Al-Rantisi Hospital was also severely impacted but has resumed limited operations.

The facility houses Gaza's only dialysis center for children under 14 with kidney disease. Despite challenges, hospital staff are working to keep young patients alive.

Speaking to Anadolu, Nabil Ayad, head of the hospital's nephrology department, said that before the war, the dialysis unit operated 14 machines and provided treatment to 45 children, each receiving dialysis three times a week for four hours per session.

"During the war, this unit was partially destroyed,” Ayad said. “We tried multiple times to restore operations, and eventually, we managed to repair and reopen the unit, and begin accepting dialysis patients. Right now, we are providing hemodialysis to 12 children.”

He further said some child patients lost their lives due to difficulties in dialysis centers or necessary medications while the war continued.

The doctor noted that they are trying to restore the hospital's dialysis unit to its pre-Oct. 7, 2023 condition. However, they are facing significant difficulties in obtaining essential medical supplies such as catheters and some medications.

Highlighting how life has become extremely difficult due to the war and the collapse of the health care system, he said: "We are trying to rebuild something amidst the rubble and provide healthcare services to children. We urge international organizations to help us in this matter."

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.