Islamic Help, in partnership with IDEALs, has once again sent surgeons into the heart of Gaza—their fifth deployment so far. Each new day brings heart-wrenching stories of pain, loss, and resilience.
Islamic Help, in partnership with IDEALs, has once again sent surgeons into the heart of Gaza—their fifth deployment so far. Each new day brings heart-wrenching stories of pain, loss, and resilience. At the forefront of these tales are the youngest victims, with the team sharing how they’re seeing "a huge number of 5-year-olds"—most of whom have suffered devastating, life-altering injuries.
Mr. Graeme Groom, one of the surgeons, shared the harrowing details of his first patient—a 3-year-old girl with burn wounds covering 42% of her body. “Seeing her made me weep," he shared, explaining how she reminded him of his own beautiful granddaughters. With a sorrowful look, he added,
“These burns will be the death of her; she will not survive.”
Another tragic case involved a 19-year-old girl who was 32 weeks pregnant. “It’s a dreadful injury,” Mr. Groom shares, “it’s unlikely she can keep her leg...but we will keep trying.” He later shares that an amputation is only successful with an effective prosthetic post-operation, but the only prosthetics hospital in Gaza has been destroyed.
Dr. Victoria Rose notes a disturbing trend: "Another day...full of children." She pauses, her voice heavy with sorrow. Their observations underscore a distressing reality: the conflict disproportionately affects Gaza’s most vulnerable—the children. The team believes this is because 5-year-olds are at an age where their parents may find it more difficult to pick them up and shield them—coupled with the fact they find it more difficult to get out of harm’s way. In essence, they’re too big to protect, but too small to run to safety in time.
One of Dr. Rose’s youngest patients, a 7-year-old girl, suffered devastating injuries from an explosion that took her left ear and caused serious internal damage, with the shockwave rupturing her bowel. She was rushed to theatre for four hours and had five burst wounds repaired. After an agonising wait to ensure she was stable enough, our team operated on her, reconstructing her left ear successfully by using a skin graft from her upper arm.
Our team’s amazing work in Gaza would not be possible without your ongoing support. Donate towards our Surgeons in Gaza appeal below.
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Each day, our surgeons meet survivors with stories that are almost too painful to bear. The 4-year-old who is on the slow road to recovery after an explosive injury resulted in an above-the-knee amputation is just one tragedy out of thousands where children have seen their lives changed forever. This conflict has already claimed the lives of over 40,000 people in Gaza, leaving millions more on the brink of starvation and what the WHO describes as an ‘imminent public health catastrophe’ (source)
“70% of the patients we operated on were women or children”
Talah, a 16-year-old girl, encapsulates the tragic reality many face. She lost her mother, father, brother, and sister in an explosion, and she and her sisters are now being treated for severe burn wounds, their lives changed forever.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, and the need for medical aid and support is urgent, with a severe lack of resources and equipment. The relentless efforts of the medical staff, both our surgeons from the UK and the local teams, highlight both the tragedy and the urgent need for medical support in Gaza.
“It’s very distressing,” Dr. Rose says after a long shift, “but, it’s also very rewarding to be here,” she adds.
Donate now to help send surgeons to Gaza. All donations are Zakat eligible.
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