Israel debunks BBC claim that evacuated Gaza woman died of starvation

BBC cited Italian media reports that Gazan woman who died in Italy had suffered malnutrition but ignored her cancer diagnosis, which explained her emaciated appearance.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israel’s Defense Ministry on Sunday debunked media claims that a Gaza woman who died in Italy recently had starved prior to her evacuation.

On Friday, 20-year-old Marah Salah Mahmoud Zohry died after suffering a heart attack while being treated at the University Hospital of Pisa, two days after she was evacuated from Gaza to Italy.

Media reports in Italy highlighted her emaciated appearance, fueling claims she had died as a result of malnutrition suffered before her evacuation from Gaza.

The BBC emphasized claims of malnutrition in a report published Saturday evening, selectively citing hospital officials without noting Zohry’s medical history.

“The hospital said she had suffered severe loss of weight and muscle,” the BBC wrote, “while Italian news agencies reported she was suffering from severe malnutrition.”

The report went on to cite United Nations claims of “widespread malnutrition” in the Gaza Strip.

However, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, an agency within the Israeli Defense Ministry, fact-checked the BBC report on Zohry’s death, noting that the media outlet had failed to mention that she had been suffering from leukemia, a form of cancer that impairs proper blood cell function and can cause the body to waste away.

“The facts, which the report did not mention: 20-year-old Marah Zohry suffered from leukemia,” COGAT wrote on X in response to the BBC article.

“Italian authorities contacted Israel requesting Marah’s evacuation due to her illness, and Israel approved it. Her evacuation could have taken place earlier, as Israel had proposed several possible dates for the transfer.”

“Israel facilitates the medical transfer of patients, with a focus on children, and encourages countries around the world to make such requests, while Hamas keeps cynically exploiting them for its twisted agenda.”

COGAT’s post included a scan of Zohry’s medical report, issued days before her evacuation to Italy.

According to the report, Zohry was suffering from pancytopenia, indicating a failure of bone marrow function, and pleural effusion with high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH).

Together, the diagnoses point to an advanced stage of the cancer which would likely cause severe anemia and cachexia, resulting in the patient wasting away and presenting with an emaciated appearance.