UN Chief urges evacuation of 2,500 Gaza children at ‘imminent risk’

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday called for the immediate evacuation of 2,500 children from Gaza for medical treatment, warning they are at imminent risk of death, as a result of the 470-day Israeli war on Gaza.

The appeal followed a meeting with U.S. doctors who recently volunteered in Gaza during the 15-month war between Israel and Hamas. The doctors described a healthcare system in collapse, with children in critical condition due to lack of medical care.

“There's about 2,500 children who are at imminent risk of death in the next few weeks. Some are dying right now. Some will die tomorrow,” said Feroze Sidhwa, a California trauma surgeon who worked in Gaza last year.

Ahead of the Jan. 19 ceasefire, the World Health Organization reported more than 12,000 patients were awaiting medical evacuations, with hopes of accelerating transfers during the truce.

Amputee children

Ayesha Khan, an emergency doctor at Stanford University Hospital, described amputee children without access to prosthetics or rehabilitation. She recounted the case of two orphaned sisters, both amputees, who share a wheelchair.

“Their only chance for survival is to be medically evacuated,” she said.

Khan also highlighted restrictive security policies that limit children to traveling with only one caregiver. She cited an aunt who had to choose between accompanying her injured nieces or staying with her breastfeeding baby.

The doctors urged the establishment of a clear, centralized process for medical evacuations.

“Under this ceasefire agreement, there is supposed to be a mechanism for evacuations. We've still not seen that process spelled out,” said Thaer Ahmad, an emergency doctor from Chicago who worked in Gaza in January 2024.

Guterres, “deeply moved” by the doctors’ accounts, reiterated the need for immediate action.

“2,500 children must be immediately evacuated with the guarantee that they will be able to return to their families and communities,” he posted on X.

Israel’s defense agency, COGAT, and its U.N. mission did not respond to requests for comment. The WHO reported that 5,383 patients had been evacuated with its support since the war began in October 2023, mostly before the closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.