six-year-old Fadi al-Zant is severely emaciated, his ribs protruding beneath leathery skin and his eyes sunken as he lies in bed at the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, where famine is approaching.
Fadi’s spindly legs can no longer support him sufficiently to walk.
Before the war, photographs of Fadi show him cheerful and healthy, standing in blue denims next to his taller twin and brushing his hair. A small video clip shows him dancing at a wedding with a young girl.
Fadi suffers from cystic fibrosis. According to his mother Shimaa al-Zant, prior to the conflict, he was taking medication that his family could no longer obtain and eating a well balanced variety of food that was no longer available in the Palestinian area.”His condition is worsening. He is becoming weaker. “He’s losing his ability to do things,” she said in a video acquired by Reuters from a freelancer. “He can no longer stand. When I assist him stand up, he falls immediately.”
