Take Gaza’s injured children to British hospitals for treatment. We can and must help them | Arminka Helic
Eevery day in Gaza, more than 10 children losing one or both legs. The health care system meant for them is in shambles. Most hospitals have been forced to close due to fighting, bombings or blockades. Those that are still functioning are overwhelmed, understaffed and desperately short of supplies. Amputations take place without anesthesia. Basic infection control standards cannot be maintained.
Children whose lives could be saved die. A British doctor who helps children in the region told me about LS, a three-year-old boy who lost most of his family in the bombing. He suffered severe burns to his lower back, pelvis and legs. After significant delays, he was eventually evacuated to Egypt for treatment. Sadly, it came too late and LS passed away on Christmas Day 2023.
His story reminded me of another injured child. In October 2012 I worked as an advisor to the then Secretary of State, William Haag. I was on the train back to London from the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham when I saw reports that a young campaigner for girls’ education had been shot in Pakistan. Malala Yousafzai, just fifteen years old, was riding a school bus when Taliban gunmen boarded and shot her in the head and chest.
Malala survived the first attack thanks to life-saving surgery by Pakistani doctors, but her condition was still critical and she required specialist medical care. I called the Secretary of State and he immediately agreed that if we could help, we should.
The next call was to Ed Llewellyn, David Cameron’s chief of staff. With the Prime Minister’s approval, the government has drawn up a plan in collaboration with Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. On October 1, Malala was flown to Britain and admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, which treats many injured British soldiers and excels in the care and rehabilitation of gunshot victims. In the weeks and months that followed, she received the specialist care she needed – to help her rebuild her life and continue her education and activism.
Like Malala, many children in Gaza need specialist care that cannot be provided in the region. Children are particularly vulnerable to explosion injuries and burns caused by explosive weapons. They suffer more serious injuries, over more parts of their body. Even those who survive are likely to face serious disabilities. As children grow, prosthetics need to be replaced regularly – sometimes requiring surgery each time. And for many children in Gaza, any hope of support has been destroyed. The acronym WCNSF – which stands for “injured child without surviving family” – has entered the lexicon due to the sheer number of children suffering horrific injuries without a single family member alive to care for them.
We can and must help. As we did for Malala – and again in 2022, when Britain welcomed 21 Ukrainian children with cancer to continue their treatment after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – we must create a pathway where children affected by the conflict in the Central -East can get life. saving medical care in Britain.
A clear model exists for bringing a limited number of children with urgent medical needs, whether they are direct victims of the conflict or suffering from other serious conditions such as cancer, to Britain on a temporary basis for short-term treatment. Once they are stabilized and on the road to recovery, they will return to continue their rehabilitation in the region, but the intervention and high-quality treatment in Britain will have changed the course of their lives.
Some of the best doctors and hospitals in the country are ready to offer their leading and life-saving specialist care to children from Gaza. A group called Project Pure Hope, made up of senior doctors and healthcare leaders from across Britain, have won the support of top hospitals and are raising money to help cover costs. They work with local doctors to identify the children who need the most care.
Other countries, including France and Italy, have done so already committed to provide similar assistance. But the sheer number of injured children is such that an international effort is needed. All that is missing is political leadership to clear the way to Britain by providing visas, logistical support and financing. Speed is of the essence: as the tragic case of LS shows, the children assigned to treatment will not survive the wait.
The future of Palestine depends on today’s children. They are not allowed to bear their trauma alone. War and the wounds – physical and psychological – that are its legacy should not become the defining experience of childhood and life in Israel and Palestine. Providing medical assistance would not only be an act of mercy for the individual children involved, but also symbolize our commitment to peace and a two-state solution.
In 2012, Cameron took action to help Malala survive and continue her advocacy. Today he and Rishi Sunak have the opportunity to show similar leadership and compassion for the children of Gaza. Britain has the medical expertise and capacity to help. There is a clear precedent for taking action. Offering treatment to children will not end the war. But it’s a step we could take immediately – and for the children in care, it would be transformative.