Gaza patients arrive at MSF’s hospital in Jordan
On 6 August, six children arrived at MSF’s reconstructive surgery hospital in Jordan after being evacuated from Gaza in coordination with the Jordanian Ministry of Health. Among them is the five-year-old son of an MSF staff member who was injured in a blast amidst the ongoing violence.
Two of the newly arrived patients are suffering from severe acute malnutrition — a direct consequence of the prolonged siege on Gaza and the deliberate starvation of the people trapped there. The patients, aged 17 and 12, have been placed on a gradual feeding protocol to help stabilise their condition and prevent complications.
“One of the young boys who arrived to the hospital was clutching water bottles, terrified of losing them. This small act speaks volumes about the deprivation of food and water in Gaza, and the trauma children are facing,” says Daad Mnezil, MSF Mental Health Activity Manager.
Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal campaign on Gaza, MSF has received only 32 children through medical evacuation to our specialised hospital in Jordan – a tiny drop in the ocean compared to the massive needs. According to WHO, more than 14,800 people are in urgent need of medical evacuation.
MSF calls on the Israeli authorities to ensure medical evacuations for all Palestinians in need of medical care, including their caretakers, while ensuring that all patients and their caregivers are guaranteed a safe, voluntary and dignified return to Gaza. At the same time, Israel must immediately and unconditionally lift its siege on Gaza and allow life-saving humanitarian aid to flow freely and safely to those in need.