Children injured in Gaza’s war are facing “a lifetime of surgery”, a reconstruction doctor has said.
Dr. Ghassan Abu Sita, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, told Sky News that at least half of the estimated 75,000 Palestinians injured by Israeli attacks in Gaza are children, many with very severe injuries.
“[A lot of them] It will require complex operations,” said Dr. Abu Sita.
“What we do know is that in the long term, children with war injuries will need eight to 12 surgeries before they reach adulthood.
“These kids have a lifetime of surgery ahead of them.”
Earlier this week, Unicef warned that 600,000 children are currently sheltering in the Gaza city of Rafah.
A charity has warned of further disaster for children if Israel launches a military ground operation.
“Rafah is now a city of children who have nowhere to go in Gaza,” Unicef said, adding that the children’s physical and mental condition is already weakened.
Dr Victoria Rose, a consultant plastic surgeon who recently returned from Gaza, said most of the people she treated were children.
“Children are mostly running in the streets outside the hospitals, so they get hit by shrapnel after the bombs go off,” he said.
“It was just unstoppable…shrapnel, blast wounds and burns.”
