Children living under siege in Gaza Strip are suffering in agony as life-saving medical evacuations become ever rarer. According to WHO reports, although more than 7,000 patients have been evacuated since the conflict started in late 2014, over 15,000 (including 3,800 children) still await evacuation; since Israel took control of Rafah border crossing in May 2024 less than four patients have been evacuated daily–compared with nearly 300 monthly. (Reuters).
UNICEF reports that children in Gaza are being medically evacuated at an alarmingly slow rate: less than one child every day needs urgent medical treatment and it would take seven years just to evacuate those needing it all together – as a result children in Gaza are dying not only due to bombs and shells that strike them but also from not having access to essential health services that could save their lives, according to UNICEF estimates.
Closure of Rafah crossing has severely compromised evacuation efforts. Even when evacuation requests are approved, many children face further barriers; one mother was even forced to choose between her two nieces and breastfeeding baby as Israeli authorities did not permit both children with her; such decisions underscore the inhumane conditions endured by these families.
According to Reuters.
International community members have expressed grave alarm over the situation. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder highlighted several cases of children suffering life-threatening injuries who had their evacuation requests denied or delayed, even when survivors survive initial attacks but are prevented from seeking urgent medical care outside Gaza – something Elder noted can cost lives (Reuters).
WHO and UNICEF continue their call for the immediate reopening of Rafah crossing and establishment of a clear, centralized process for medical evacuations. Both organizations also urge all parties to the conflict to prioritize children’s health and well-being by not hindering humanitarian aid deliveries and medical evacuations – lives are at stake!

The crisis in Gaza serves as an eye-opening reminder of how war can impact on its most vulnerable victims, children. Therefore, it is vitally important that international assistance be immediately directed toward meeting the humanitarian needs of children living there and to provide them with medical treatment and protection as soon as possible.

As the world watches, Gazan children continue to suffer. Their pleas for aid must not go unanswered; now is the time for international intervention in order to save lives and safeguard Gaza’s children’s futures.