A British paediatric nurse who provided aid for children with shattered and amputated limbs from airstrikes in Gaza described what she encountered as “beyond anything I’ve ever seen before”.
Becky Platt, 50, who is an advanced clinical practitioner in paediatric accident and emergency in London, saw children who cannot walk because of their injuries, young people eating things from rubbish piles and youngsters experiencing “psychological distress” during her visit to a hospital in Gaza in April.
Ms Platt, who visited the hospital for charity Save the Children, described the healthcare situation in Gaza as “broken” and said there is a “dire need” for medicine and other aid.
“When I first arrived, I remember seeing small children and toddlers picking through rubbish in the middle of the road, unaccompanied children, picking up things and eating it,” she told the PA news agency.
“We know that there are thousands of orphaned and unaccompanied children there, and I certainly saw that so both as a nurse and as a mum that was incredibly difficult to see.”
She said she treated children with injuries sustained during explosions including “children with limb amputations, shattered limbs, some children had lost more than one limb”.
She added: “Multiple children had spinal injuries or pelvic injuries, which meant that they were unable to walk, and may always be unable to walk.
“In addition to that, there are multiple children, thousands affected by all of the problems that are associated with living in poor hygiene conditions and overcrowded areas.”
The paediatric nurse said children in Gaza currently only have access to mild painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, but highlighted the need for stronger medicine for children who live without limbs.
“These are children that have had their limbs blown off and what we’ve got to offer them is paracetamol and ibuprofen because all of the supply chains have broken down, and it’s really difficult to get hold of anything stronger than that,” she said.
Ms Platt described how the war in Gaza has impacted children psychologically, which she said was “devastating” and “beyond anything I’ve ever seen before”.
“One young lady who had lost one of her limbs in an explosion – she couldn’t look at her lower body because she found it so distressing, she couldn’t touch it,” she explained.
“I saw another boy who had had his femur shattered when he was near where a bomb landed when he was playing with his friends… he lost his six best friends, and he dreams about those boys every single night.
“When he closes his eyes, they’re there – that kind of psychological distress is something that maybe they’ll never get over.
“They need significant help with that and they need it urgently.”
More than 20,000 children are estimated to be lost, disappeared, detained or buried under rubble, according to recent analysis from Save the Children.
Ms Platt described seeing children living under canvas, tarpaulin or fabric and without access to water or a proper toilet, and called for an urgent need for aid and other emergency supplies to be distributed in Gaza.
“There’s an absolute dire need for aid at the moment,” she said.
“The things that I saw there showed me that there’s a huge need for aid both in terms of health care and with the emergency health unit.”
Liz Bradshaw, senior conflict and humanitarian adviser at Save the Children UK, said: “Becky’s experiences in Gaza highlight the critical need for immediate action.
“We urge the international community to support our efforts and provide the necessary resources to help children enduring horrific violence from the ongoing Israeli bombardment.
“The world cannot keep standing by as these children suffer. An immediate and definitive ceasefire is the only way to save lives in Gaza and end grave and serious violations of their rights.”
