Doctors in Gaza say as many as 3,000 Palestinian children have lost limbs in Israel’s offensive on the enclave.
The conflict is creating a generation of traumatised amputees. Thousands of children across the Strip have lost one or more limbs since the onslaught began. Many are undergoing amputations without anaesthetic.
Maimed by an Israeli drone, Sham is one of thousands of child amputees in the Strip.
“Sham was standing near the door, and a piece of shrapnel hit her hand. I ran outside and found her hand, hanging by a thread,” her mother said.
It took hours for her to be seen by a doctor as not a single hospital in Gaza is fully functioning. Despite the horror of her experience, Sham was one of the luckier ones. Her amputation was performed with anaesthetic.
“The situation is way beyond the medical staff’s control given the substantial number of injuries and the lack of medical equipment and resources that are required to deal with these cases,” Dr Mohammed Shaheen, resident orthopaedic surgeon at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, said.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has added Israel’s military to a global list of offenders who have committed violations against children, said Israel’s UN envoy Gilad Erdan, describing the decision as “shameful.”
Erdan said he was officially notified of the decision on Friday. The global list is included in a report on children and armed conflict that is due to be submitted to the UN Security Council on June 14.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the decision would impact the country’s relations with the United Nations.
Erdan said he was notified by Guterres’ chief of staff and posted a video on social media of him responding to the decision during their phone call.
More than 36,731 Palestinians have been killed and 83,530 have been injured in Israeli military offensive on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Some 77 Palestinians were killed and 221 injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
