In a heartbreaking incident in Gaza, a nine-year-old girl named Hanan Aqel suffered severe burns and injuries after an airstrike hit while she was out with her sister to buy sweets. Hanan's sister escaped unharmed, but Hanan sustained burns to 20% of her body. The Gaza health system, already struggling due to eight months of war, lacks the necessary supplies and expertise to treat critical cases like Hanan's.
Dr. Mahmoud Mahane, a specialist in burns and eye injuries, highlighted the urgent need for medical transfers for children like Hanan who require more advanced treatment. However, the closure of the Rafah crossing to Egypt since early May has left thousands of critically ill patients stranded in Gaza, unable to access the medical care they desperately need.
The World Health Organization estimates that there are at least 10,000 urgent cases requiring evacuation from Gaza for various medical conditions, including war injuries, chronic illnesses, and complex surgeries. The closure of the Rafah crossing has created a backlog of critical patients, with no clear timeline for when they can be evacuated for treatment.
Despite offers from several countries to accept critically ill patients for treatment, the ongoing dispute between Israel and Egypt over the control of the crossing has left many lives hanging in the balance. Patients like Malak, a newborn with a heart defect, are in urgent need of specialized care that Gaza's hospitals cannot provide due to fuel shortages and lack of essential medicines.
The situation in Gaza's hospitals is dire, with medical staff struggling to save lives amidst limited resources and escalating needs. The international community is calling for the immediate reopening of the Rafah crossing or the establishment of alternative mechanisms to ensure that critical patients can receive the care they require before it's too late.
