Jerusalem, 17 August, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Marah Zohry, a 20-year-old Gaza woman who purportedly died of malnutrition in Italy, actually died of leukemia, Israel said on Sunday.
“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,” the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) tweeted.
“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 is a unit of the Israeli Defense Forces that coordinates civilian issues in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.
The tweet included a photograph of a document from the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis confirming Zohry’s illness.
Zohry arrived at Pisa University Hospital late Wednesday and died Friday. International media reports claimed she died of malnutrition.
According to a recent COGAT report, Hamas’ Ministry of Health “biased and misleadingly” presented malnutrition data, sometimes misattributing deaths of people with severe pre-existing conditions to hunger. “Hamas is cynically using tragic images and misusing them for the purposes of an awareness campaign,” COGAT said, calling the reports “false” and “a timed pressure tool” to sway international opinion against Israel.
A special report by The Press Service of Israel in July found that, according to the UN’s own numbers, a staggering 85% of the aid entering the Gaza Strip by truck since May 19 has been stolen. The investigation found that a combination of black-market profiteers and inflation has made much of the aid in Gaza markets unaffordable for most Palestinians.
Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.
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