Children suffer as conflict escalates in Gaza
- Thousands of children in Gaza are critically injured due to ongoing conflict, with many requiring urgent medical attention.
- UNICEF has made appeals for the international community to support the medical evacuation of these children.
- Without intervention, the healthcare crisis continues to jeopardize the lives of children affected by the violence.
In Gaza, a dire humanitarian crisis has escalated due to ongoing conflict, resulting in an overwhelming number of casualties among children. Reports indicate that at least 19,000 children have been killed and another 42,000 injured as a result of the violence, leading to an unprecedented number of child amputees per capita worldwide. Hospitals in Gaza are in ruins and cannot provide the necessary medical care that injured children desperately require. In light of these circumstances, families are facing immense challenges, as seen through the cases of individual children severely wounded by airstrikes. UNICEF has been calling on the international community to take action to facilitate the medical evacuation of these critically injured children. Over the last months, children like Retal and Mohamed have been waiting indefinitely for permission to leave Gaza for medical treatment, a situation that has sparked an urgent plea for intervention. Between October 2023 and August 2025, Gaza experienced at least 778 attacks on health facilities, severely crippling the healthcare infrastructure further. The situation has led to devastating consequences not only from the immediate violence but also from the lack of adequate medical care available. Children are facing death not just from direct attacks but from the inability to receive life-saving treatment. The current rate of medical evacuations has significantly decreased, with averages dropping from 296 children per month earlier in 2024 to fewer than one child daily by late 2024. UNICEF insists on the urgency of the situation, emphasizing the need for rapid medical evacuations at scale while ensuring patients can return to Gaza post-treatment. There is a growing concern that as the situation remains stagnant, the children who survive the bombs will succumb to preventable health issues due to denied access to critical care. UNICEF's commitment to advocating for these children’s rights is a crucial step in addressing one of the most pressing humanitarian crises in Gaza today.