United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urgently called for the immediate evacuation of 2,500 children in Gaza who are at serious risk of dying within the next few weeks due to inadequate medical care. This demand came after a meeting with U.S. doctors who had volunteered in Gaza during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. The war, which has been raging for 15 months, has left Gaza’s healthcare system in ruins and caused severe medical shortages, especially for the children affected.
These 2,500 children need urgent medical treatment, but their conditions range from burn injuries, which, if not treated, could lead to amputations, to other critical health issues that have worsened over time due to the lack of necessary care. The doctors, including Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon from California, highlighted how some children are already dying while others will follow soon without immediate medical intervention.
For example, Dr. Sidhwa shared the story of a 3-year-old boy who had suffered burns to his arm. Although the burns had healed, the scar tissue was restricting blood flow, putting the child at risk of needing his arm amputated. Ayesha Khan, an emergency doctor, also described how many children in Gaza had amputations but were not provided with prosthetics or rehabilitation. One heartbreaking case involved two young sisters who were orphaned in an attack and are now sharing a wheelchair. Their only chance for survival is medical evacuation.
However, evacuating these children is complicated due to the strict security restrictions, including the requirement that only one caregiver be allowed to accompany each child. In one case, a woman who was caring for two injured nieces had to make an impossible choice: whether to bring her baby or her nieces, as she wasn’t allowed to bring both.
The doctors are pushing for a more organized and clear process for medical evacuations. They believe there needs to be a specific plan in place for evacuating children, along with guarantees that they will be allowed to return to their families and communities once they are treated. Unfortunately, there is currently no defined process, and many obstacles remain. For example, while the Rafah border has been opened for exits, there is uncertainty whether those evacuated will be allowed to return.
Guterres expressed his concern after meeting the doctors, stating that these 2,500 children must be evacuated immediately, with the promise of reuniting them with their families. However, despite the urgency of the situation, Israel and its defense agency, COGAT, have not yet responded to the request for the medical evacuation of these children.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously reported that over 5,300 patients had been evacuated with its support since the war began, but that number has slowed significantly since the Rafah crossing was closed. The doctors are hoping that the international community will step up to ensure the safe evacuation and treatment of these vulnerable children.
