Israel’s ongoing blockade on Gaza has left hundreds of wounded children stranded, awaiting urgent medical evacuation, with humanitarian organisations warning of a worsening crisis. According to the UN, Israel’s military offensive has created the highest number of child amputees in modern history, with thousands of young victims facing lifelong disabilities.
Six months ago, US President Donald Trump announced that Jordan would accept 2,000 injured children from Gaza for medical treatment. However, Israel has permitted the evacuation of only 175, leaving the majority trapped in the besieged enclave without adequate care. Among those who managed to leave is eight-year-old Muhammad, who lost his leg when an Israeli airstrike hit his family’s tent. After receiving a prosthetic limb in Jordan, Muhammad expressed his wish to return home and play football with his friends, a dream out of reach for many others still waiting for treatment.
For the children unable to leave Gaza, the dangers remain immense, not only from continued Israeli bombardment but also from the collapse of the medical system under siege. “I remember this child, around nine years old, who came in after an attack. His bowel was out of his abdomen. We didn’t have an ICU,” recalled Dr. Osama Hamid, a Jordanian surgeon. “We had only two operating rooms and the decision was made. Just let him die in peace.” Hamid, who volunteered multiple times in Gaza, said he has since been barred by Israel from entering again.
Doctors and aid workers warn that without immediate international intervention to allow medical evacuations and restore access to proper facilities, countless more children could die needlessly. The crisis underscores the devastating humanitarian toll of the blockade, which continues to deny Gaza’s youngest victims the care they desperately need.
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