UNICEF urges urgent medical care for Gaza children amid Israeli approval delays

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UNICEF urges urgent medical care for Gaza children amid Israeli approval delays

2024-10-26 20:19 Last Updated At：23:37

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has urgently called for medical treatment of numerous children stranded in the Gaza Strip due to the lack of approval from Israeli authorities.

Speaking in Geneva on Friday, UNICEF spokesman James Elder revealed a drastic drop in medical evacuations from Gaza since Israel took control of the Rafah crossing in early May.

Prior to May 7 this year, an average of 296 children requiring emergency medical care were evacuated from Gaza every month. However, following the Israeli army's control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing and its subsequent closure, the monthly number of medically evacuated children has plummeted to a mere 22, according to Elder.

"It is not known how many child patients have been rejected for medical evacuation. Only a list of approved patients is provided by Israel's COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories), which controls Gaza's entry and exit points. The status of others is not shared. When a patient is denied, there is nothing can be done," he said.

This restriction on medical evacuations is having dire consequences, as Elder emphasized that children in critical condition within Gaza are left without medical services and lack the means to access treatment elsewhere.

He warned that children in Gaza are being deprived of their right to medical care, with those who survived airstrikes succumbing to injuries due to the severity of their conditions.

Lebanese death toll from Israeli attacks rises to 2,653

2024-10-27 10:09 Last Updated At：10:37

The death toll from the Israeli attacks on the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group had risen to 2,653 since October 8 of last year, with 12,360 others injured, the Lebanese authorities said on Saturday.

Israel launched an airstrike on a health center on Friday in Lebanon's southern town of Bazouriyeh, leaving one nurser killed and five others injured, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict had caused 164 deaths and more than 270 injuries in Lebanon's health and emergency sectors, it said.

The ministry once again condemned the Israeli army's attacks on Lebanon's medical centers and their staff.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday Hezbollah fighters fired about 190 rockets into northern Israel where air raid sirens sounded.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah issued a statement on the same day, saying that it had used rockets to attack the Shemona settlement in northern Israel.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after Hamas' surprise attack on Israel to show solidarity with the Palestinian group. Israel carried out airstrikes in response.

Since Sept. 23 this year, the Israeli army has launched an intensive air attack on Lebanon, marking a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah. In addition, Israel initiated a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon earlier this month.