LONDON: A British charity has called on the UK government to evacuate 21 critically ill children currently at the Kamal Aswan Hospital in northern Gaza, which is under siege by Israeli forces.
Sky News reports that the hospital has been recently raided, leaving only two doctors to care for more than 150 patients, and it was also hit by an Israeli airstrike on Thursday. Supplies are running low, and many facilities are no longer operational.
Project Pure Hope issued a statement highlighting the “humanitarian disaster of historic proportions” and stressed that the children’s chances of survival are diminishing without advanced medical care that cannot be provided under the current conditions. The charity stated it has sufficient funds to facilitate the evacuation of the 21 critically ill children.
Despite discussions with UK Foreign Office staff, the charity noted that the government has yet to agree to accept any patients, unlike other countries such as the US, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, and the UAE, which have taken in hospitalized children from Gaza since the conflict escalated over a year ago.
Concerns for the safety of individuals around the hospital have intensified amid increased Israeli military activity and restrictions on aid delivery to displaced civilians. Charities have warned of impending famine and disease, while aid workers face challenges in accessing areas affected by military strikes.
Project Pure Hope’s concerns are shared by the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières, which expressed deep concern about the situation after one of its staff members was detained by Israeli forces.
Israel claims that Hamas has been using the Kamal Aswan Hospital, located in the Jabaliya refugee camp, as a base and alleges that weapons have been stored there, a claim the hospital denies.
