Since October 7, more than a thousand children in the Gaza Strip have lost one or both legs in amputation operations often without any anesthesia.
There are more than ten children a day, since the beginning of the war, who will no longer be able to run, jump, play football or ride a bicycle.
The data comes from Save The Children which cites the numbers released by Unicef in a note. Many of these amputations - states the NGO - were carried out without anesthesia due to the paralysis of the healthcare system in the Strip and the serious shortage of doctors and nurses and of anesthetics and antibiotics. And, due to the lack of electricity, in the north of the enclave the wounded are treated with the dim light of torches, say the volunteers of the Palestinian Red Crescent (Prcs) working in Jabalia.
“I saw doctors and nurses completely overwhelmed as children arrived with blast wounds. The impact of seeing children suffer so much and not having the equipment and medicines to treat them or relieve the pain is too strong even for the most experienced professionals,” says Jason Lee, director of Save the Children in the occupied Palestinian territories. “Even in a war zone, the sight and voice of a child maimed by bombs cannot be accepted or even understood.”
“The suffering of children in this conflict is unimaginable and even more so because it is useless and absolutely avoidable,” accuses the organisation's manager. “This suffering, killing and maiming of children are considered grave violations, and those responsible must be held accountable. If the international community does not intervene to meet its responsibilities under international humanitarian law and to prevent the most serious crimes, history will judge us all", is the organisation's warning: "Only a definitive ceasefire will put an end to it" of all this and will allow the arrival of humanitarian aid, which is desperately needed", concludes the NGO.
(Unioneonline/ss)