Breathing depends on a cylinder: Gaza faces medical oxygen crisis

Az-Zuwayda, Gaza Strip – Ali Humaida’s heart rate quickens as he watches the gauge on the oxygen cylinder sitting in the corner of his tent.As the needle falls, he looks at his 14-year-old son, Abdulaziz, lying on a mattress in the family’s tent in central Gaza’s az-Zuwayda, worried about how long the remaining oxygen will last – and where he will find more when it runs out.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Inside Israel’s prisons, where Ben-Gvir’s cruelty is policylist 2 of 3As the UK sanctions Israeli settlements, is the two-state solution dead?list 3 of 3Gaza students with overseas university offers, scholarships remain trappedend of listAbdulaziz depends on a continuous supply of supplemental oxygen, his father says. One night, when the family’s cylinder emptied before they were able to replace it, his breathing rapidly deteriorated.“The cylinder suddenly ran out in the middle of the night,” Ali recalled. “The minutes turned into a nightmare. We began fanning him with our hands and pieces of cardboard while watching his face turn blue, terrified he would lose consciousness or slip into a coma right before our eyes, while we stood completely helpless.”For families ca...