GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder issued a grave warning on Friday about “lethal delays” that children in Gaza are facing due to the ongoing war and siege, noting that medical evacuations are occurring at an alarming rate of less than one child per day.
Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Elder stressed that at this dangerously slow pace it could take more than “seven years” to evacuate the 2,500 children in urgent need of medical care.
Elder reported that children in Gaza are dying not only from the bombs, bullets and strikes but because even when “miracles happen” and those who survive these atrocities are condemned to die from their injuries without being allowed to leave Gaza to receive the urgent care that would save their lives.
He underlined that an average of 296 children were medically evacuated each month between 1 January and 7 May.
Since the closure of the Rafah crossing on 7 May due to the Israeli occupation ground offensive, the number of children being medically evacuated has dropped to just 22 per month, he said, adding that many are suffering from head trauma, amputations, burns, cancer and severe malnutrition.
Elder stressed that “one of the many tragedies of Gaza is that the appalling figures have failed to move those in power to act”.
He noted that this is not a logistical problem, as UN agencies have the capacity to safely transport these children out of Gaza, not even a capacity problem: “It is simply a problem that is being completely ignored.”
