SAFA- Eighteen-month-old Yazan Issam Al-Nabih weighs just 5 kilograms as severe malnutrition and hydrocephalus threaten his life. Doctors say the specialized treatment he urgently needs is unavailable in the Gaza Strip, leaving his condition to deteriorate as delays in medical evacuation continue.

Instead of taking his first steps, Yazan is fighting for survival. His frail body has been devastated by severe malnutrition, while his family watches helplessly as they struggle to secure the medical care and nutritional support he desperately needs.

Yazan was born during the Israeli genocidal war at a healthy weight, but the humanitarian conditions facing his family soon took a devastating toll. His mother's malnutrition, severe food shortages, and her inability to breastfeed him caused his health to deteriorate steadily, severely affecting his growth and weakening his immune system.

His condition became even more critical after he developed hydrocephalus, a disorder caused by a buildup of fluid in the brain. Doctors implanted a shunt to drain the excess fluid and relieve pressure on his brain, but the operation marked the beginning of a long course of specialized treatment that is unavailable in Gaza.

Although Yazan was referred for treatment outside the Gaza Strip, continued border closures and delays in medical evacuations have prevented him from traveling. His family said doctors warned that his chances of survival have become extremely slim unless he is transferred to a specialized medical center without further delay.

According to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF), tens of thousands of children under the age of five across the Gaza Strip are suffering from acute malnutrition, while hundreds of thousands require urgent nutritional assistance. UNICEF has warned that malnutrition has reached unprecedented levels, particularly among children born during the Israeli genocidal war, because of severe food shortages, deteriorating maternal health, and the collapse of Gaza's healthcare system.