Project Details

Since October 2023, the Gaza Strip has witnessed one of the harshest humanitarian catastrophes in modern times, as the all-out war has left devastation affecting every element of life. This tragedy is not limited to material destruction alone; it extends to leave behind a social catastrophe that threatens to wipe out an entire generation, represented by the emergence of an unprecedented wave of orphanhood. According to official statistics issued by Palestinian authorities and United Nations reports, the number of children who have lost one or both parents has exceeded 25,000 orphans, with at least 17,000 of them having no guardian at all (having lost both parents or been separated from them). Each of these numbers represents a devastating individual story of a child suddenly placed face to face with a world of fear, loss, and deprivation of the most basic rights.

These orphans live through a complex and harsh ordeal. They face not only the pain of emotional and family absence, but are also surrounded by the complete collapse of the supportive environment around them; however, the catastrophic collapse of the health system remains the most dangerous threat to their survival and growth. According to data from the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health in Gaza:

• 21 out of 38 hospitals have gone completely out of service because of the destruction.

• The remaining hospitals are operating at meager capacity that does not exceed 30%, and are overwhelmed with war casualties and critical cases.

• 88% of primary health care centers have stopped working.

• The sector has lost more than 1,054 of its medical and nursing staff, between martyrs and wounded.

This health collapse creates deadly living and health conditions for orphans in particular:

• Preventable diseases are spreading among them, such as acute diarrhea, respiratory infections, and malnutrition, due to living in overcrowded displacement tents that lack clean water and sanitation, and the absence of preventive health care.

• They are deprived of specialized treatment: many of these children need surgeries, care for physical injuries, or urgent psychological support, but they face a wall of impossibility with hospitals shut down and specialized services gone.

• Their psychological trauma worsens without any support: the exhausted and sick society itself leaves them to face the monsters of fear, nightmares, and deprivation without systematic psychosocial support programs, which threatens their mental health for life.

In the face of this scene, humanitarian action is no longer merely an act of compassion, but an urgent responsibility to save lives and an investment in humanity’s future. The project "Performing Surgical Operations for Orphans in the Gaza Strip" aims to confront this double catastrophe by carrying out minor, intermediate, and major surgical operations, along with comprehensive care that addresses the most urgent needs of orphans, starting with basic health care and extending to regular follow-up after the operation. Every day of delay in supporting this generation is a new violation of their rights and a deepening of harm that may become permanent, not only for the children, but for the future of society as a whole in Gaza.

The project "Performing 105 Surgical Operations for Orphans in the Gaza Strip" comes as an urgent and integrated humanitarian response, designed specifically to confront the unprecedented suffering experienced by more than 25,000 orphans in the Gaza Strip, amid the deteriorating humanitarian and health conditions resulting from the war and ongoing attacks that have left a large number of casualties.

The project focuses on providing specialized surgical care to 105 orphans in the Gaza Strip, by covering all costs of surgical operations at their various levels (minor, intermediate, and major), ensuring that orphaned children receive the necessary treatment without any financial burden on their families or the entities sponsoring them.

It should be noted that a large number of these operations had already been scheduled before the outbreak of the war, but they could not be carried out because of the deterioration of security conditions, the disruption of health services, and the lack of medical resources. The severe economic collapse and loss of income sources have also left many families unable to pay for surgical costs, which has led to worsening children’s health conditions and the postponement of necessary medical interventions.

The project will be implemented in northern Gaza at Friends of the Patient Hospital, where surgical operations vary according to their degree of complexity and the patients’ needs. Minor operations include simple procedures performed under anesthesia, such as (umbilical hernia in children, tonsillectomy, hernia, adenoidectomy, and hydrocele treatment). Intermediate operations require more advanced medical equipment and are performed under general anesthesia, and include (bilateral inguinal hernia repair for children, and appendectomy for children). Major operations include complex surgical interventions performed under full anesthesia and requiring integrated equipment, such as (simple symbolic circumcision, and treatment of hearing ossicle decay).

The project also commits to providing the necessary medications for each patient after the surgical operation according to their treatment needs, to ensure full recovery, accelerate the healing process, and reduce the likelihood of complications.

 This project is not merely a temporary relief intervention; it is a long-term humanitarian commitment aimed at saving an entire generation from ruin, building a social line of defense that protects the most vulnerable groups, and restoring to orphaned children their right to health care and safe childhood, as an essential step toward any possible future for the Gaza Strip.