Displaced Woman Living on Oxygen Therapy Fears Disruption Due to Gaza War
(AWP) - The oxygen cylinder used by Umm Mohamed Dalloul, a displaced Palestinian woman, is virtually part of her facial features, as she sits in a shabby tent in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, where she was displaced from the north due to the Israeli war, now in its fifth month.
International organizations say that the majority of the people of Gaza, estimated at 2.3 million Palestinians, have lived as displaced persons amid cruel conditions since the Israeli war on Gaza broke out on October 7.
“I suffer from pulmonary fibrosis. I have difficulty breathing, and I live on oxygen therapy. The medication I used to use has not been available for nearly a month now. The cold weather these days has made my health condition worse," said Umm Mohammed.
“During the past four days, I have been very sick because of the lack of warmth and treatment, and I had a high temperature all night. I can’t stand to walk for even a little distance. There is no treatment available to help me,” she added.
Umm Mohamed noted that her life depends on an oxygen cylinder, and without it, survival is impossible.
“After we were displaced here, I could not find another cylinder to use rotationally. I brought this cylinder with me from Gaza, and this one we took from a friend of my husband’s. One cylinder is barely enough for one day, and might not last throughout the day. When I get sick, I struggle to breathe,” she explained.
She said that she fears the oxygen supply might be disrupted any moment, adding that the Israeli forces have come very close to the displaced people’s tents in Rafah.