Doctors Without Borders Reports Dire Malnutrition Crisis Among Gaza’s Children
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, James Smith, a doctor with the organization Doctors Without Borders, stated in an interview with Britain’s Channel 4 that an estimated 3,000 children in the Gaza Strip are admitted monthly into treatment programs for acute malnutrition. He described this situation as a consequence of accumulating deprivations imposed over nearly three years, noting that around one million people in Gaza urgently require emergency shelter, while the sewage system has largely collapsed, leading to sewage spread in various areas of the Strip.
Smith estimated the number of Palestinians injured since the start of the conflict at approximately 200,000, asserting that Gaza now has more amputee children than any other region globally. The doctor also reported that observers record around 200 security incidents across the Gaza Strip each week, nearly all linked to the military activities of the Israeli regime’s army. He characterized the living conditions of Gaza’s population as dire, stating that people are left in a state lacking even the most basic suitable living conditions.
Separately, Mohammed Abu Afash, director of the Medical Relief Society in Gaza, announced that over 21,800 patients and injured individuals in the Gaza Strip are in urgent need of evacuation for specialized treatment and essential surgeries. He noted that the current operational mechanism of the Rafah crossing remains highly restricted and is insufficient to meet even the minimal needs for transferring the high number of patients. Abu Afash added that the number of cancer patients in Gaza has exceeded 12,000, with over 5,000 having official medical referrals for treatment. Furthermore, more than 200 children with cancer require medical evacuation and treatment outside the Gaza Strip.
According to him, over 3,000 amputations have been recorded in Gaza, requiring prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation programs, and thousands of injured individuals are awaiting complex specialized surgeries. The director of the Gaza Medical Relief Society highlighted that cancer medications have been completely depleted for over a week, and shortages of dialysis equipment, laboratory supplies, and spare parts for medical devices persist. He stated that hundreds of surgeries have been postponed due to a lack of specialized personnel and medical equipment, and hospitals are struggling even to follow up on treatments for patients with hypertension, diabetes, and kidney diseases.
Abu Afash called for a more effective opening of crossings and the immediate entry of medical supplies and spare parts to save the lives of thousands of patients in the Gaza Strip.
