In a heart-wrenching tale of survival against all odds, an elderly woman and her son are living in a repurposed agricultural trailer on the outskirts of Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The cramped space, devoid of running water, electricity, and basic necessities, has become their refuge after facing unimaginable hardships.
The aging mother, suffering from severe asthma, struggles to breathe. Her son watches over her, his eyes filled with worry and helplessness. Each labored breath she takes is a stark reminder of their precarious existence.
Without access to proper medical equipment, a simple asthma attack becomes a life-threatening crisis. The woman desperately needs a nebulizer to manage her condition, but poverty and the dire circumstances of life in Gaza have made this essential tool unattainable.
Faced with this desperate situation, the son has resorted to using a car tire inflator as a makeshift breathing aid. It’s a desperate measure, born not of ingenuity but of a primal instinct to save his mother. He hopes to alleviate her suffering, knowing full well the limitations and risks involved.
The situation has been described as shocking and devastating, highlighting the depth of the humanitarian crisis and the erosion of even the most basic healthcare provisions in the Gaza Strip. Activists see this family’s plight as a reflection of the wider suffering of patients in Gaza, where shortages of medical equipment and medicine are no longer exceptions but a daily reality threatening the lives of thousands, particularly the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.
The use of a tire inflator underscores the collapse of the healthcare system, exacerbated by the targeting of hospitals and restrictions on the entry of medical supplies. The elderly woman’s plight is a symbol of the struggles faced by countless others in Gaza.
