Gaza is a conveyor belt of carnage, says Kettering paramedic
A British paramedic working in Gaza said the territory felt like a "conveyor belt of carnage" as he has treated a "steady stream" of patients with blast, shrapnel and gunshot wounds.Sam Sears, 44, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, a paramedic with East Midlands Ambulance Service, was stationed for three weeks in Gaza with the charity UK-Med. On arrival, Mr Sears said he began working in response to a mass casualty incident where two children, aged nine and 11, had died from blast injuries."I put the children in body bags and zipped them up," he said.
"In the UK I've had to deal with a number of deceased children, but the difference was I'm never involved with putting them in a body bag. It's normally a very calm, slow situation, allowing parents time to grieve."It was particularly heartbreaking putting a child in a body bag, seeing their face for the last time, then moving them out the way so we could treat more people."Part of me felt guilty that there was no dignity for them because the emergency situation meant it was a case of 'they are dead, let's get them out the way to free the beds'."But there was simply no alternative because with such a high volume of casualties, we had to focus on people we might be able to save." The 44-year-old paramedic has carried out humanitarian work in other countries, but said Gaza was like other conflicts "times 1,000".
The paramedic said a 16-year-old boy was left paralysed and needing an amputation after suffering blast and shrapnel wounds and the patient's 18-year-old brother wept when told he would now have to care for him alone.Mr Sears also told of seeing more pregnant women and newborn babies suffering severe malnutrition because the mothers lacked the nutrients to breastfeed."That first night, another child came in with shrapnel embedded in their stomach and bleeding internally. "I was personally convinced they would die, but we got him to surgery within 20 minutes," said Mr Sears, who returned to the UK on 31 July."Next day when I saw them they were recovering well and the prognosis was really good. "Gaza's the hardest thing I've ever done but moments like that that keep you going. We have saved that child's life." Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says that in total more than 61,000 people have been killed as a result of Israel's military campaign since 2023.Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October that year, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Gaza's sick children wait in torturous limbo for medical evacuations
Abdel Karim Wahdan no longer has the energy to speak. When visitors arrive, the eight-year-old pretends to be sleeping so that no one looks at him. Between his frequent dialysis sessions, he cries. His bones hurt, he says. Abdel Karim is dying. His death should be preventable but because he lives in Gaza he cannot access the treatment that would save his life. What started as acute kidney failure is now chronic: his small body has begun to swell and he spends his days between hospital beds and injections that he hates. 'My son suffers greatly. The hospital has become his home. The doctors stand helpless and I can only watch and pray,' said his mother, Najwa Wahdan. As the sickness progressed, Abdel Karim was also diagnosed with malnutrition as food began to disappear from Gaza's markets. His only hope is to be evacuated from Gaza to receive medical treatment abroad. Wahdan filed a medical referral four months ago but is still waiting. Abdel Karim is one of thousands of people in Gaza waiting for treatment abroad. Getting approved for a medical evacuation is a long, arduous process that can take years. Zahir al-Wehadi, the head of the information department at the Gaza ministry of health, said: 'We have more than 16,000 patients [in Gaza] who need treatment abroad. We have already lost more than 600 patients who died while still waiting to travel.' Tens of thousands of people in Gaza have been wounded by Israeli strikes and gunfire over the past 22 months of a war that has killed more than 61,000 people. Disease and sickness, much of which were not present in Gaza prior to the war, are rife in the territory as solid waste accumulates and people live tightly packed together with limited access to clean water or hygiene products. Repeated Israeli attacks on Gaza's hospitals and Israel's blockade of basic goods into the territory have left the medical sector devastated. Doctors in Gaza say that often they do not have the supplies to treat patients. In those cases they write a referral for the patients to be evacuated abroad. Israel controls who enters and leaves Gaza. People who need medical treatment abroad must have their exit approved by Cogat, the Israeli military agency in charge of humanitarian affairs for Palestinians. In December, the World Health Organization said the pace of medical evacuations out of Gaza was so slow that it would take five to 10 years to clear the backlog. Cogat has been approached for comment. Waiting for medical evacuation is torturous. Patients and their families have no ability to speed up the process and can do nothing but hope that approval comes before death does. During their long wait, Abdel Karim's physical and mental state has deteriorated. He has lost the ability to walk and when his blood pressure drops too low he temporarily goes blind and has seizures. 'What I loved most about Abdel Karim was his calmness; he never caused trouble like other children,' his mother said. 'He loved studying Arabic and English. He once wanted to become a doctor.' But the months of sickness have taken its toll on the once happy child. 'For the last three months he has been withdrawn, irritable, yelling often and not speaking to anyone – this is not the calm son I knew before,' Wahdan said. Many children have died while waiting for their evacuation approval. Amina al-Jourani was not too worried when in January 2024 her 15-year-old son, Nidal, came home with a foot injury. Israel had bombed a nearby house and Nidal had gone to the scene to help transport wounded people to the hospital on his bicycle. When he returned to his home he had a small gash on his foot. 'At first we didn't pay it much attention. It seemed like a simple, ordinary wound,' Jourani said. But in the following days Nidal developed a fever. He began to lose weight and his skin was covered with red spots. It was a year and a half before doctors approved a request to transfer Nidal abroad, as his condition, though persistent, did not seem to be life-threatening. The hospital he was staying in, the European hospital, was bombed and he was sent home. His fever spiked and his foot turned blue. Nidal went to another hospital where they diagnosed him with kidney failure. He died two days later, on 2 June 2025. Doctors say it is impossible to deal with the caseload, particularly as the humanitarian situation has worsened since Israel instituted a harsh blockade of aid on Gaza in March. Aid groups have said a worst-case famine scenario is unfolding in Gaza. Israel denies there is a starvation crisis in Gaza and says the UN is to blame for poor distribution of aid – a claim that aid bodies uniformly reject. Ragheb Warsh Agha, the head of the gastroenterology department at al-Rantisi children's hospital, said: 'Many children die because of the lack of resources or the lack of response to transfer requests. In many cases the child's treatment is simple – for example, we may need basic medicines, specific treatments that are unavailable, or to conduct tests for which the necessary equipment does not exist.' Agha said the overcrowded hospital often had to place three children in a single bed, which encouraged the spread of disease. Gaza's starvation crisis has also meant disease spreads more easily. Lack of food weakens people's immune systems and makes them more susceptible to sickness. Recovery is more difficult when the body does not have food. For parents waiting for the mechanisms of bureaucracy to give them the slip of paper that means life for their children, the helplessness is agonising. Jourani said: 'At the height of his illness, Nidal gave me 100 shekel he had saved and he told me: 'Mom, keep this for me so I can buy lots of sweets, chocolate and snacks when the [border] crossing opens.' Two and a half months after Nidal's death, his mother received a message: his referral had been approved, his request to be evacuated granted. 'Nidal died and the money is still in my purse,' she said through tears. 'He died waiting for the crossings to open.'
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Sky News
Over 100 people killed in Gaza in 24 hours, officials say, marking deadliest day in a week
More than 100 people have been killed in Gaza within 24 hours, officials there have said - the deadliest day recorded in a week. The Gaza health ministry said 123 people were killed, adding to the tens of thousands of fatalities during the near two-year war raging in the Strip. It comes as officials said Israel's planned re-seizure of Gaza City, which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing, is likely weeks away. Eastern areas of Gaza City were bombed heavily by Israeli planes and tanks, according to residents, who said that many homes were destroyed in the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods overnight. Al-Ahli hospital said 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Zeitoun. Israeli tanks also destroyed several homes in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, Palestinian medics said. 2:17 They added that in central Gaza, Israeli gunfire killed nine people seeking aid in two separate incidents. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) did not comment on this. The number of Palestinians who died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza has risen to 235, including 106 children, since the war began, following the death of eight more people, including three children, in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said. The malnutrition and hunger death figures have been reported by the Hamas-run ministry and have been disputed by Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday: "If we had a starvation policy, no one in Gaza would have survived after two years of war." He also repeated the allegation that Hamas has been looting aid trucks and claimed uncollected food has been "rotting" at the border, blaming the UN for not distributing it. The latest death figures come as Hamas held further talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo with a focus on stopping the war, delivering aid and "enduring the suffering of our people in Gaza", an official for the group said in a statement. Egyptian security sources said the possibility of a comprehensive ceasefire would also be discussed. This would see Hamas relinquish governance in Gaza and concede its weapons, with a Hamas official saying the group was open to all ideas as long as Israel would end the war and pull out of Gaza. But the official added that "laying down arms before the occupation is dismissed as impossible". Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu reiterated that Palestinians should simply leave Gaza, an idea which has also been enthusiastically floated by US President Donald Trump. "They're not being pushed out, they'll be allowed to exit," Mr Netanyahu told Israeli television channel i24NEWS. "All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us." World leaders have rejected the idea of displacing the Gaza population, and Mr Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, which Israeli sources said could be launched in October, has increased global outcry over the widespread devastation, displacement and hunger in the enclave. 0:59 The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is at "unimaginable levels", Britain and 26 partners said in a statement on Tuesday, warning: "Famine is unfolding before our eyes." The statement added: "Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised." It was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The war in Gaza began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas killed about 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and abducted 251 others in its attack. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. It is believed Hamas is still holding 50 captives, with 20 believed to be alive.
Metro
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Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more Who would have thought we would be thinking about Christmas, even counting down to the big day, in the height of British summer? Not us. But, we can make exceptions when the news is this good. NEOM is set to launch its first ever 24-day wellbeing advent calendar to make the countdown to December 25 not only more exciting, but well rested and stress-free. December can be chaotic with festive parties, late nights, last minute deadlines to file before you slam that laptop shut before the holidays. Plus, Christmas shopping and hunting for the perfect last minute gift for friends and family can be hard work. So, NEOM is onto something with its 24-piece advent calendar filled with NEOM products to help you sleep better, de-stress and boost your mood. The 24-piece advent calendar will include a medley of NEOM products to combat stress, fatigue, lift your mood and aid your sleep. It contains £365 worth of products but retails for £190. SIGN UP now Like most advent calendars, NEOM's wellbeing bundle will be limited edition, with only a select few up for grabs when it becomes available to shop. We know from previous experiences that advent calendars sell like hot cakes, so you will want to stay up to date so not to miss out when this advent calendar does drop. NEOM's website reads: 'For the first time ever, NEOM Wellbeing presents a limited-edition Advent Calendar – the ultimate countdown collection featuring 24 iconic NEOM Wellbeing products, each one carefully curated to help you sleep better, stress less, feel more energised, and lift your mood.' So far, all we know is the advent calendar will house 24 gifts behind all 24 doors. The bundle will contain £365 worth of NEOM products, but will retail for £190, which makes a saving of almost £200. However, the exact contents remains a mystery. The release date also remains a mystery. But, shoppers desperate to get their hands on the goods, or gifts for the wellness buff or insomniac in their life, we recommend you sign up to NEOM's newsletter to stay in the know. More Trending To sign up to the newsletter and be updated about this year's advent calendar, all you have to do is enter your name and email address. It really couldn't be simpler. Of course, we'll keep you updated as soon as we hear more. Turns out NEOM is not the only retailer looking ahead to Christmas as Cult Beauty has teased this year's advent. Not to wish the summer away… but roll on December! Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Share your views in the comments below MORE: LookFantastic to launch three beauty advent calendars this Christmas to mark major milestone MORE: Cult Beauty announces 2025 advent calendar — here's everything we know MORE: The viral product Sabrina Carpenter keeps by her bed is a must for light sleepers Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
