Born into the devastating Israel-Hamas war, 10-month-old Abdel-Rahman Abuel-Jedian started crawling early. Then one day, he froze — his left leg appeared to be paralyzed. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Born into the devastating Israel-Hamas war, 10-month-old Abdel-Rahman Abuel-Jedian started crawling early.
Then one day, he froze — his left leg appeared to be paralyzed. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Born into the devastating Israel-Hamas war, 10-month-old Abdel-Rahman Abuel-Jedian started crawling early. Then one day, he froze — his left leg appeared to be paralyzed.
The baby boy is the first confirmed case of polio inside Gaza in 25 years, according to the World Health Organization. Abdel-Rahman was an energetic baby, said the child’s mother, Nevine Abuel-Jedian, fighting back tears. “Suddenly, that was reversed.
Suddenly, he stopped crawling, stopped moving, stopped standing up, and stopped sitting.” Health care workers in Gaza have been warning of the potential for a polio outbreak for months, as the humanitarian crisis unleashed by Israel’s offensive on the strip only grows. Abdel-Rahman’s diagnosis confirms health workers’ worst fears.
Before the war, Gaza’s children were largely vaccinated against polio, the WHO says. But Abdel-Rahman was not vaccinated because he was born just before Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel and Israel launched a ret.