🚨Read it twice.

9,000 Palestinian children have had to amputate 1 or more limbs and
1000 children endured it without anesthesia.
https://t.co/HhFWFD5bjH

— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) December 29, 2023

UNICEF:

In the Gaza Strip, the life of any child could turn into a nightmare in the blink of an eye. Families try to keep their children safe, but this becomes harder and harder with the intense bombardments. Many houses have been destroyed, and many children ended up under the rubble. More than 9,000 children have been injured in the Gaza Strip, leaving many grappling with the loss of an arm or a leg.

This is the story about a childhood lost under the rubble, how the dreams of children turned into nightmares and an extremely difficult journey of recovery. Ghazal, a 4-year-old child from the Gaza Strip is bearing the direct impact of the war on her body. On October 12, her house was hit by shelling. She was disoriented and shocked and had an immense pain in her left leg.

Ghazal suffered a severe leg injury that wiped her smile off her face. Given the level of destruction and security concerns, the medical team could not reach her. A doctor living in her neighborhood performed a makeshift surgery to stop the bleeding from her leg.

As in many other cases in the Gaza Strip, the doctor had to carry out the surgery in inadequate conditions and without anesthesia due to the lack of medical supplies and equipment. The doctor managed to stop the bleeding. But her leg was infected. After several days, finally reaching al Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the medical team was confronted with a terrible decision: they needed to amputate Ghazal’s leg.

During the process, Ghazal was accompanied by her family. As she was preparing for the amputation, her father stood by her side, holding her close and enveloping her with his love. He offered all the support and affection she needed to endure a process that no child, anywhere, should ever have to experience. [Continue reading…]