In Gaza, where Israel's brutal genocide has devastated infrastructure ranging from homes to hospitals, and where increasing signs of starvation are raging due to the occupation's siege, another silent killer is spreading through overcrowded shelters and collapsing medical facilities: meningitis.
Once manageable under normal conditions, the disease is now claiming young lives and pushing the already fragile health system to the brink of collapse.
Doctors warn that the spread of the disease could spiral into a full-scale epidemic, as medical infrastructure – already decimated by Israeli bombardment and blockade – fails to respond.
In recent weeks, paediatric hospitals across the Gaza Strip have been overwhelmed by a surge in meningitis cases, mostly among children.
Physicians and humanitarian workers on the ground describe the conditions as a "perfect storm" for disease transmission: severe overcrowding, unclean water, no sanitation, and a health sector crippled by the war.
Limited resources
At Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital in Gaza City, the sound of crying babies fills the crowded hallways, where families sit close to their sick children and stretchers have replaced beds, with emergency rooms spilling into the corridors. Like many hospitals in Gaza, Al-Nasr is close to shutting down.
Dr Ragheb Agha, the head of the paediatric department at Al-Nasser Hospital, told The New Arab, "We've documented hundreds of meningitis cases in just the past few weeks. We do not have either the medicine or the equipment to treat all these children. The power cuts are constant. The labs don’t work. And most days, we don’t even have enough clean water to wash our hands between patients."
Dr Ragheb added that conditions are getting worse quickly, especially in northern Gaza, where the destruction is severe and many families have been displaced multiple times. The overcrowded shelters – often UN schools or tent camps – have become hotspots for disease.
"These are not places fit for humans, let alone sick children," he added.
'Their immune systems are defenceless'
Further south in Khan Younis, at the Nasser Medical Complex, the situation is equally dire.
Ahmed al-Farra, who leads the paediatric and obstetric departments, reported, "More than 40 new meningitis cases among children were reported in the past week alone."
Ahmed also noted that children are showing symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, and neck stiffness, which he highlighted as classic signs of meningitis.
He added, “What is worrying is the speed at which the disease is spreading, it’s not just one family or neighbourhood, it’s across shelters, across cities, all across Gaza.”
He attributed the rapid spread to extreme malnutrition and immune deficiency, saying, “Families are living on bread and lentils, children often lack access to milk, fruits, and vegetables, no vitamins, no protein, it’s like famine, their immune systems are defenceless.”
'He hasn't seen the world yet'
Back at Al-Nasr Hospital, eight-year-old Samid Bashir lies limp and burning with fever in front of a rusted hospital bed. His mother, Salma, fans him gently with a piece of cardboard while pressing a damp rag against his forehead.
"He was playing just yesterday. Then he got a headache, and his temperature shot up. He couldn’t move. We tried to find a doctor, but no one came. The clinics are full. They told us to wait, and we waited for hours," the 39-year-old mother of three recalled to The New Arab.
They eventually managed to get Samid admitted, but doctors have no access to lab tests or cultures to know if it’s viral or bacterial meningitis. They are forced to treat blindly, often without the necessary antibiotics.
Nearby, another mother, Jenin Mahmoud, holds her two-month-old son, Mohammed, who is also suspected to have meningitis. A volunteer medic helped her reach the hospital from their shelter in Beit Lahia.
"I’m breastfeeding, but there’s no milk in my body," she whispered. "We only eat once a day – sometimes just some dry bread or lentils. Nothing else. I’m too weak to nourish my baby."
Mohammed suffers from severe anaemia and visible signs of malnutrition. Doctors fear that any delay in treatment could lead to hearing loss, seizures, or even death.
"He hasn’t seen the world yet, and he’s already fighting for his life," Jenin lamented through tears. "Why must our children die from things that could be prevented?"
'It's spreading fast'
In another corridor of the same hospital, six-year-old Hiba al-Moghrabi lies on a metal stretcher in the emergency hallway, her eyes closed and skin pale. Her mother said it began with a headache, followed by a fever and difficulty moving her neck.
They live in a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, where roughly 30 families share a single toilet and have no running water.
"We waited outside the hospital for hours. There are no rooms left," Hiba’s mother said. "Inside our shelter, it’s worse. No hygiene, no privacy, and we’re afraid more children will get infected. It’s spreading fast."
Meanwhile, in Rafah, seven-year-old Siraj al-Nabahin was transferred to Al-Nasser Hospital after a long journey. He now suffers from seizures.
His father, Mahmoud, said the journey took six hours because the roads were blocked by rubble, adding, “There was no ambulance, I carried him in my arms the entire way; he was unconscious, and we thought he would die before we arrived.”
Siraj, once a bright student who loved maths, can barely speak now. Doctors suspect a bacterial infection of the brain and are struggling to locate the appropriate antibiotics, which are in short supply due to the blockade.
Not far from Siraj is six-year-old Malak Salim, who fled the Shuja'iyya neighbourhood with her family after their home was reduced to rubble. Since moving into a tent near Al-Shifa Hospital, she began complaining of headaches and vomiting.
"We thought it was just the flu," her mother said. "But a medic told us it’s probably meningitis. We looked everywhere for medicine. No one had it."
'A system-wide collapse'
In central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, eight-year-old Ahmed Al-Hawajri arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after a long journey on foot. With no ambulances available, his grandmother carried him from the Bureij refugee camp. He was unconscious by the time they arrived.
"We thought he was going to die in my arms," she said. "The hospitals are full, and there are no doctors to help. What is a grandmother supposed to do?"
Speaking separately to The New Arab, Palestinian doctors in the war-torn Gaza Strip said they are out of basic medications, and many rely on expired supplies. Most hospitals lack functioning laboratories, meaning they cannot confirm diagnoses. Often, they are forced to treat children based on symptoms alone – a dangerous guessing game.
Part of the problem is the blockade on Gaza, which has intensified since March, when the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas collapsed. Israel has since severely limited the entry of fuel, medicine, and humanitarian aid. The shortage has paralysed the already struggling healthcare sector.
"We cannot run equipment, we cannot sterilise tools, and we cannot refrigerate medicine," Dr Ragheb said. "This is no longer just a health crisis. It is a system-wide collapse."
An epidemic unfolding in real time
Data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health shows that over 450 medical personnel have been killed since the war began in October 2023. Another 360 have been detained or are missing. The loss of trained staff is having a catastrophic effect on Gaza’s ability to handle this and other emergencies.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded the alarm. In a recent statement, the WHO confirmed the daily increase in meningitis cases in Gaza, noting that while some are viral and non-fatal, the bacterial strain poses a lethal threat without immediate treatment.
"Medical personnel are no longer able to isolate patients or confirm diagnoses," it warned. "We are watching an epidemic unfold in real time."
The WHO has called for the immediate opening of border crossings to allow humanitarian aid and medical convoys to enter Gaza without restrictions. The agency is also requesting international pressure to restore access to clean water and electricity, both of which are essential for halting the spread of disease.
But for now, the response from the international community remains muted. Aid agencies are struggling to operate under constant bombardment. Fuel supplies are either blocked or insufficient. And the long shadow of war continues to fall over Gaza’s children.
With the number of meningitis infections rising by the day and no sign of a political or humanitarian breakthrough, Gaza’s children remain trapped between the ruins of war and the clutches of disease, with only the faintest hope of survival.
Sally Ibrahim is The New Arab's correspondent from Gaza