Experts warn Gaza might have largerts ‘pediatric amputees in history’

by TMO Staff

Amputees in Gaza are at risk of fatal complications because of a lack of proper medical treatment, according to Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym MSF). The majority of the amputations being performed would have be preventable under normal circumstances. Experts warn Gaza may have ‘the largest cohort of pediatric amputees in history’.

As of June 2024, the number of Palestinian children who have lost limbs in Israel’s war on Gaza is unclear, but some estimates range from 1,000 to 3,000.

The United Nations children Fund (UNICEF) says that between October and January, at least 1,000 children lost one or both legs. That’s an average of more than 10 children, who have lost one or both of their legs every day in Gaza since October 7, with many amputations performed without anesthesia.

In a statement citing United Nations statistics, Save the Children’s director for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jason Lee, said the “suffering of children in this conflict is unimaginable and even more so because it is unnecessary and completely avoidable.”

“The killing and maiming of children is condemned as a grave violation against children, and perpetrators must be held to account,” he said.