Over 10 children a day lose a limb in Gaza: Save the Children

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Save the Children + news websites
8 Jan 2024 00:57
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A director at Save the Children urges a ceasefire as the sight of mutilated children due to bombardment "cannot be reconciled."

Palestinian children wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are brought to the hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine, on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. (AP)

Jason Lee, Save the Children's Director for occupied Palestine, said that more than 10 children per day, on average, had lost one or both of their legs in Gaza since "Israel" launched an all-out aggression on the besieged territory early in October.

In a statement on Sunday, Lee explained the dire humanitarian situation across Gaza, further warning that the killing and maiming of children constitute grave violations of children’s rights.

He described how he had seen doctors and nurses in the Gaza Strip who have been "completely overwhelmed when children come in with blast wounds," explaining that "the impact of seeing children in that much pain and not having the equipment, medicines to treat them or alleviate pain is too much for even experienced professionals."

According to the Director, seeing children mutilated by bombs and hearing their screams "cannot be reconciled let alone understood within the bounds of humanity."

Emphasizing that children are physically more fragile and thus more prone to life-changing injuries, Lee said, "The suffering of children in this conflict is unimaginable and even more so because it is unnecessary and completely avoidable."

He also urged that "perpetrators must be held to account" because such suffering of children constitutes a "grave violation" worthy of condemnation.

“Unless action is taken by the international community to uphold their responsibilities under International Humanitarian Law and prevent the most serious crimes of international concern, history will and should judge us all," Lee underscored.

In line with these demands and concerns, Save the Children's Director explained that the only way to end this suffering and "prevent 'atrocity crimes' from unfolding" is a definitive ceasefire that will allow for "desperately needed humanitarian aid."

Over 1,000 children in Gaza have had one or two legs amputated: UNICEF

In a previous report on January 1, James Elder, the Director of UNICEF, stated that over 1,000 children in Gaza underwent amputations of one or both legs as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Relief workers from around the world, who visited the Gaza Strip, highlighted the profound human tragedy faced by over 2.3 million Palestinians who are struggling to fulfill fundamental requirements for survival.

Due to the Israeli airstrikes on #Gaza, thousands of Palestinian children have had to undergo amputation surgeries; hundreds were reported to have had these surgeries without anesthesia amid the brutal Israeli siege on the Strip.

Hospitals in Gaza are struggling to accommodate… pic.twitter.com/cFLWyZIMbJ
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 30, 2023

In light of the worsening health crisis attributed to the Israeli siege and the acute scarcity of medical resources, UNICEF clarified that medical professionals in Gaza find themselves compelled to conduct amputations. These procedures are not only carried out without anesthetics but also involve swift operations conducted outside formal health facilities, further exacerbated by the absence of palliative medications.

An official from UNICEF emphasized that despite children recovering from amputations, they still face the constant threat of death due to Israeli bombings.