Healing and Hope for Children in Gaza
Becky Platt, 50, is a pediatric nurse and a senior lecturer in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Queen Mary’s University who recently returned from working with Save the Children in Gaza.
There, she was part of Save the Children’s Emergency Health Unit (EHU) at a field hospital established by one of our partners in Rafah. The hospital provides primary health care to over 200 people a day, 40% of them children.
“While in Gaza, I met a young lady (aged 13) who had been severely injured when her aunt’s home was bombed, resulting in the loss of several of her brothers and her right leg,” says Becky.
“She had a big piece of shrapnel embedded in her left leg as well. When I first met her, she couldn’t even look at her lower body due to the trauma and infected wounds. Over weeks, we worked to heal her wounds, and eventually, she managed to get out of bed and into a wheelchair for the first time, experiencing sunlight after months. Her resilience gave me hope, but it also highlighted the immense challenges these children face.”
To hear more about Becky’s experiences – and the work being done by other humanitarian workers like her – click the video below.
“The needs of children in Gaza are basic yet critical. They need safe shelter, hygiene, and access to clean water and nutrition. Many children have missed half a year of school and require urgent mental health support,” Becky adds.
Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children impacted by the ongoing conflict since 1953. Save the Children’s team in the occupied Palestinian territory has been working around the clock, prepositioning vital supplies to support people in need, and working to find ways to get assistance into Gaza.