Gaza Siege Halts Production of Burn Treatment Masks, Threatening Children with Permanent Disabilities

Doctors Without Borders has warned that production of face masks used to treat burns in the Gaza Strip has halted due to Israeli restrictions on the entry of medical materials and supplies, explaining that it produced its last mask using 3D printing technology on October 14.

The organization said the absence of these masks threatens patients, including children, with permanent disfigurement and disabilities that may affect their ability to move, see and breathe, noting that injuries include burns from Israeli airstrikes and others sustained by residents while cooking inside tents or over open fires.

Doctors Without Borders stressed that it has the expertise and capacity to continue providing treatment, but the shortage of necessary materials prevents it from doing so, and called for the immediate entry of medical supplies into the Strip to avoid complications that could stay with patients for life.

This comes as Israel continues to shirk the understandings related to the ceasefire and to impose restrictions on the entry of aid and basic necessities into the Gaza Strip, including medical supplies, which deepens the humanitarian crisis and undermines the ability of health institutions and relief organizations to respond to the needs of patients and the wounded. The siege also continues to limit the availability of essential supplies, at a time when thousands of injured people need specialized and continuous medical care.