Gaza: The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, highlighted on 25 June the horrific injury and maiming of Palestinian children resulting from Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
“Basically, we have, every day, 10 children who are losing one leg or two legs on average,” Lazzarini told reporters in Geneva.
UNRWA used data from the UN children’s agency UNICEF and noted that the figure mentioned “does not even include the arms and the hands, and we have many more” of these.
“Ten per day, that means around 2,000 children after the more than 260 days of this brutal war,” Lazzarini added.
He further noted that amputations are being carried out in “horrible conditions.”
Separately, the US-based NGO Save the Children estimates that about 21,000 children are missing as a result of Israel’s war on Gaza.
As of Monday, Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip has resulted in the death of 37,626 people, about 75 percent of whom are children, women, and the elderly. Over 15,821 of the dead are children, and over 10,475 are women.
Greece has demanded that the European states respond to this “tragedy” and accept children from Gaza to be treated for their injuries and other war-related traumas.
“We need to face this tragedy very clearly,” Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said last week. “Europe should be open to injured people from [Gaza] but also to children who are now facing famine or other sorts of dangers.”
Gerapetritis spoke with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and is seeking the support of other nations to move forward with the project.
Brussels urged EU health and civil protection ministers to voice their readiness to accept Palestinian patients in a letter sent in May. Colombia has made it known that it will provide medical treatment for injured Palestinian children.
Gaza’s children are also on the brink of famine, with the government health ministry noting that 98 percent of children “do not have access to safe drinking water.”
At least “33 children across the Gaza Strip, especially in the northern areas died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration amid growing famine,” the ministry added.
Lazzarini said in his comments on Tuesday that UNRWA, the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Gaza, lacks the funding it needs. Lazzarini stated, “We have cash until end of August … a shortfall of about $140 million… to bridge the end of the year.”
