A Third of Wounded Outpatients at MSF Gaza Hospitals Are Children

By Staff, Agencies

Children under 15 years old made up almost a third of outpatients treated for wounds in field hospitals run by Médecins Sans Frontières [MSF] in Gaza last year, statistics published in The Lancet reveal.

The figures were released by MSF in correspondence with the respected medical journal and come from six health facilities in Gaza supported by the international medical NGO.

The facilities are predominantly in the south and center of the devastated territory.

More than 90,000 outpatient consultations involving wounds were carried out at the facilities in 2024. Bombs, shelling or shooting was involved in just under half of these, MSF said.

The death toll from the "Israeli" offensive after October 2023 has surpassed 62,000, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is widely used by the UN.

More than half of the victims are women or children.

Classified IOF intelligence suggests that five out of six Palestinians claimed by the IOF in Gaza have been civilians, according to the Guardian.

On Monday, the IOF struck Nasser hospital in southern Gaza twice, martyring 20, including five journalists. The second strike hit just as media and rescue crews arrived. Gaza health authorities report over 150,000 injured during the ongoing offensive.

MSF warned, “Explosive weapons are designed for open battlefields, but are increasingly used in urban areas,” noting that makeshift shelters offer little protection against blast, shrapnel, and incendiary impacts.

In two MSF hospitals, nearly 60% of lower-limb wounds were related to explosive weapons, often with open injuries to bone, muscle, or skin, the organization noted.

MSF stated, “Most immediate fatalities occur at the scene of impact and are not captured in our data,” adding that under-reporting is common among vulnerable groups, including infants, children, and the disabled.

MSF said it was facing critical shortages of essential supplies and was rationing food for patients being cared for in its facilities to only one or two meals daily.

“It is likely we will not be able to offer any food for our patients in the coming weeks. MSF reiterates our call for an immediate and standing ceasefire ... We urge 'Israel' to directly allow and protect impartial and unrestricted medical aid into Gaza,” the organization said.