UN says children dying in Gaza as medical evacuations slow down

As the war in Gaza continues, seriously injured children are dying because they’re waiting for medical evacuations. The United Nations said Friday, Oct. 25 that the number of evacuated children has dramatically decreased to fewer than one child per day since the closing of the Rafah border.

Workers rescued nearly 300 children every month before the shutdown.

The U.N. said at this rate it would take another seven years to evacuate the 2,500 children needing medical care. 

“Children in Gaza are dying not just from the bombs and the bullets and the shells that strike them,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said. “But because even when miracles happen, even when the bombs go off and the homes collapse and the casualty mounts, but the child survives, they are prevented from leaving Gaza to receive the urgent medical care that would save their lives.”

The U.N. said Israeli authorities do not provide explanations for their decisions to decline medical evacuations.

The World Health Organization joined the U.N. in calling for faster action to save lives.

As the U.N. comes forward with their concerns, there are questions about the organization’s ties to Palestine.

Earlier this year, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency was accused of helping Hamas in its terror attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

An investigation by the U.N. found that at least nine people who worked for the UNRWA were involved. The UNRWA is a branch of the U.N. that works to support Palestinian refugees.

In January 2024, the Biden administration temporarily cut off funding to UNRWA following the revelation.