Israeli Fire Kills 12 People in Gaza, Medics Say
Israeli fire and airstrikes killed at least 12 Palestinians on Sunday across the enclave, local health authorities said, at least five of them near two aid sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Medics at Al-Awda Hospital in the central Gaza Strip said at least three people were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire as they tried to approach a GHF site near the Netzarim corridor. Two others were killed en route to another aid site in Rafah in the south.
An airstrike killed seven other people in Beit Lahia town north of the enclave, medics said. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May after Israel partially lifted a near three-month total blockade. Scores of Palestinians have been killed in near-daily mass shootings trying to reach the food.
The United Nations rejects the Israeli-backed new distribution system as inadequate, dangerous, and a violation of humanitarian impartiality principles.
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Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
How Saudi child life specialists are supporting young patients
RIYADH: When a 9-year-old boy recovering from a kidney transplant refused to turn on the lights or speak to anyone, a child life specialist entered his room and comforted him by playing in the dark. Weeks later, she watched him take his first steps to recovery, both physically and emotionally. Raghad Al-Salamah, among the first Saudis to work in the child life field, said the genre plays an important role in preparing children and families for the experience of hospitalization. She told Arab News: 'The main focus of child life is helping families and children cope with their hospitalization and cope with their negative experiences.' Child life specialists provide support tailored to the child's age and emotional needs, aiming to reduce anxiety through preparation and play-based methods. Their work includes explaining medical procedures in ways children can understand while creating a more supportive environment in clinical settings. Al-Salamah said that, over time, the effect of child life services becomes visible in how children approach their treatment. She said: 'I see the impact during hospitalization: I see that in their eyes, I see how they are, how excited they are I'm here, and how they are coping with their illness … And how they are taking their medication, going through their procedure. 'Sometimes they are doing some procedure with no sedation. So, I really see the impact in the eyes of children and their families.' Al-Salamah added that some families and healthcare providers still confused the role of child life specialists with other professions in the hospital. She added: 'Some of the families, and healthcare providers, don't understand what child life is and what it's doing, so they always mix us up with a play therapist or with a social worker or even with a psychologist.' She explained how specialists work to educate children about the treatment they will receive, helping them cope with any difficulties. A study titled 'Reducing Anesthesia and Healthcare Cost Through Utilization of Child Life Specialists in Pediatric Radiation Oncology' found that the presence of certified child life specialists reduced the need for anesthesia by 16 percent among children undergoing radiotherapy. Another study, 'Benefits of a Family-Centered Approach to Pediatric Induction of Anesthesia,' found that when a family-centered model including child life specialists was used, the need for sedation before procedures dropped from 41 percent to 13 percent. Al-Salamah said she was drawn to the field to prioritize children's experience in healthcare, adding: 'I always was concerned, and had questions regarding the child who had the diagnosis and would live his life with the diagnosis. 'I was always focusing on educating the children and preparing them for their diagnosis and what they would be going through while they were here in the hospital.' Expanding the role of child life specialists, Al-Salamah said, could strengthen the overall hospital experience for patients and healthcare teams. 'Most hospitals need to begin integrating child life specialists into their programs,' she said. 'It has an impact not only on the children, but also on their families and the healthcare teams. It helps everyone in the hospital.' While child life remains relatively new in Saudi Arabia, the field is gradually being integrated into pediatric care. Fadi Munshi, executive director of Abdulrahman's Oasis, the child life foundation in the Kingdom, said that at the early stages of implementation, many people, including healthcare staff, were unfamiliar with its role. Munshi told Arab News: 'We had to raise awareness and explain how emotional and psychological safety support can make a big difference in a child's healing.' Munshi said the response from institutions had been encouraging, and added: 'Today, two main hospitals have child life teams, and staff often say they cannot imagine going back. Doctors, nurses and families all notice how children are more relaxed and cooperative during procedures. 'Their experience during the hospital stay is more positive, which eventually helps everyone in the healthcare system.' He said some hospitals had already made significant progress in implementing these services, while others were continuing to build awareness and training capacity. 'We hope that every hospital in the future (can have these services) and this is one of our main goals: that every single child in Saudi Arabia in every hospital can have this care in the future,' Munshi said. He added that many families had reported improvements in how their children handled their treatment, and said: 'Families often tell us their child is less afraid, more comfortable. They ask specifically for the child life team to be present during some stressful painful procedures.' Fahd Al-Thunayan, the chairman of Abdulrahman's Oasis, said child life services played a vital role in improving hospital environments for young patients. He told Arab News: 'Everyone knows the fear and anxiety that comes with entering a hospital — how much more (is it) for a child who doesn't understand many things?' Child life specialists help create a more humane treatment environment, he said, using various methods to ease pain and provide emotional support. He added: 'The result is a child who is more comfortable, cooperative and less stressed, which reflects positively on faster recovery and better quality of life in the hospital.' Al-Thunayan said the foundation continues to support efforts aimed at expanding access to the services across the Kingdom, and added: 'We aspire for every hospitalized child to have access to child life specialists who support them psychologically and socially, just as they are treated physically.'
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Championing the region's children living with disabilities
What if our world were designed so that every child, including those living with disabilities, had the care, support and opportunities they needed not just to survive, but to flourish? The children of today are growing up amid many unprecedented uncertainties, including economic instability, armed conflicts, pandemics and climate change — each posing compounding threats to their well-being. According to a UNESCO report, one in every seven children in the Middle East and North Africa region is living with a disability, totaling about 21 million children. Conflicts, displacement and under-resourced social services have left many children with disabilities isolated or excluded. Even in more stable settings, policy frameworks warrant greater attention to ensure they deliver universal, inclusive, affordable and quality support. As such, children living with disabilities and their carers disproportionately bear the brunt of multifaceted challenges. Even with the delivery of fragmented services, scaling is urgently needed in terms of reach, quality and funding. Without adequate scale-up, children with disabilities will continue to fall through the cracks of limited and disconnected programs, unable to access the full spectrum of services and support required for maximum impact. For instance, the exclusion of children with disabilities from early childhood centers and schools significantly reduces their access to crucial early interventions and denies them their right to learn, play and socialize with their peers. A number of gaping challenges are still present, such as a lack of inclusive education policies, inaccessible school facilities, curricula that are not adapted to special learning needs, and a shortage of adequately trained teachers to support children with special educational needs. During conflicts, schools are susceptible to destruction and become unsafe, forcing children to be cut off from vital school-based services, such as learning, psychosocial support and nutrition programs. Children with disabilities also face significant disparities in accessing quality healthcare. This includes challenges in early detection, accurate diagnosis and access to essential rehabilitation services and treatments. During conflicts, access to healthcare, lifesaving medications and rehabilitation services becomes ever more challenging and restrictive, exacerbating existing impairments and resulting in a spike in new disabilities due to conflict-related injuries or illnesses. Insufficient social protection programs for families of children with disabilities places immense financial strain on households, as families often have to incur high costs for care and treatment. At the same time, physical barriers significantly isolate children with disabilities, as public spaces, transport and buildings may lack accessibility features. Furthermore, children with disabilities are more likely to be abandoned or separated from their caregivers during conflicts or sudden displacement, leaving them not only physically vulnerable, but also defenseless to compounded trauma from fear, anxiety, isolation, stigma and exclusion in emergency settings. Governments can play an essential role in transforming the lives of children with disabilities. Safeguarding their well-being requires a well-designed mix of policies, programs, services and regulations, anchored by clear targets, sufficient budget allocations and clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Children living with disabilities and their carers disproportionately bear the brunt of multifaceted challenges. Sara Al-Mulla Part of the solution lies in gathering reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive data on the status of children living with disabilities in order to understand their real-time needs and design high-impact programs and services accordingly. This information must then be tied to the work of government agencies — such as those responsible for disaster preparedness or disability-inclusive urban planning — to ensure a more coordinated approach. Inclusive education must be prioritized. This means investing in teacher training, designing inclusive-friendly curricula and making schools physically accessible. Schools could also be fertile grounds to improve access to sports, the arts and recreational activities for children with disabilities. In conflict zones, education efforts should include safe and accessible temporary learning spaces, remote learning options and training for teachers and humanitarian workers on how to support children with disabilities during emergencies. Psychosocial support services could help alleviate the burdens faced by children with disabilities, and their carers, and assist them in navigating the myriad challenges confronting them. This transformative service is crucial for directly addressing prevalent mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression and trauma, which can significantly impact both children and those who care for them. Caregiver stipends and flexible work policies ought to be offered to significantly lighten families' financial burdens, while deploying vocational training programs tailored for caregivers and offering support for home-based income-generating activities are other options to improve the economic self-sufficiency of households. Regulatory frameworks must protect the rights of children with disabilities to access education, healthcare, social protection and participation in society, and prevent incidents of violence, abuse or neglect, and exploitation. In tandem, robust monitoring mechanisms should be deployed to ensure that all stakeholders comply with standards and are accountable for delivering these commitments. Healthcare services are imperative for protecting children with disabilities, starting with birth registration. Early detection and diagnosis programs must be supported, while simultaneously expanding access to affordable, quality rehabilitation services and offering disability-related services within hospitals and clinics across urban and rural areas. Moreover, governments can empower community health workers to deliver essential services to children with disabilities in rural areas. For children living in conflict zones, it is vital to include disability-related healthcare within humanitarian aid delivery, ensuring emergency medical teams are trained in alleviating the many healthcare burdens faced by children with disabilities. Sustained funding is essential to ensure undisrupted access to medication and specialized therapies, in addition to the provision of nutritious meals to counter critical levels of malnutrition. Furthermore, emergency response plans should commit to safeguarding the well-being of children with disabilities. This includes tracking their locations and ensuring essential services are available for them, such as psychosocial support, meals provision, healthcare services and caregiving assistance. Moreover, it is imperative that child protection schemes are put in place so that children do not fall prey to abuse and neglect. There remains a window of opportunity to improve the lives of children with disabilities and ensure they move from exclusion to empowerment. • Sara Al-Mulla is an Emirati civil servant with an interest in human development policy and children's literature. She can be contacted at
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Gaza's starvation crisis fuels deadly race for survival
KHAN YOUNIS: Each day, Palestinians in Gaza run a deadly gauntlet in hopes of getting food. Israeli troops open barrages of gunfire toward crowds crossing military zones to get to the aid, they say, and knife-wielding thieves wait to ambush those who succeed. Palestinians say lawlessness is growing as they are forced into a competition to feed their families. A lucky few manage to secure some packets of lentils, a jar of Nutella, or a bag of flour. Many return empty-handed and must attempt the ordeal again the next day. 'This is not aid. It's humiliation. It's death,' said Jamil Atili, his face shining with sweat as he made his way back last week from a food center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed private contractor. He had suffered a knife cut across his cheek amid the scramble for food and said a contractor guard pepper-sprayed him in the face. Still, he emerged with nothing for his 13 family members. I have nothing to feed my children. My heart is broken. Jamil Atili, Gaza resident 'I have nothing to feed my children,' he said, nearly crying. 'My heart is broken.' Israel began allowing food into Gaza this past month after cutting it off completely for 10 weeks, though UN officials say it is not enough to stave off starvation. Most of the supplies go to GHF, which operates four food distribution points inside Israeli military zones. A trickle of aid goes to the UN and humanitarian groups. Both systems are mired in chaos. Daily gunfire by Israeli troops toward crowds on the roads heading to the GHF centers has killed several hundred people and wounded hundreds more in the past weeks, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. At the same time, in past weeks, hungry crowds have overwhelmed most of the UN's truck convoys and stripped away the supplies. Israeli troops have opened fire to disperse crowds waiting for trucks near military zones, witnesses say — and on Tuesday, more than 50 people were killed, according to the ministry. 'I don't see how it can get any worse, because it is already apocalyptic. But somehow it does get worse,' said Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian affairs office. Thousands of people must walk miles to reach the GHF centers, three of which are in the far south outside the city of Rafah. Palestinians said the danger begins when the crowds enter the Israeli military zone encompassing Rafah. Mohammed Saqer, a father of three who risked the trip multiple times, said that when he went last week, tanks were firing over the heads of the crowds as drone announcements told everyone to move back. It's like it was "Squid Game,' Saqer said, referring to the dystopian thriller TV series in which contestants risk their lives to win a prize. Just raising your head might mean death, he said. He and others crawled forward, then left the main road. A shot rang out nearby, and they ducked, he said. They found a young man on the ground, shot in the back. The others assumed he was dead, but Saqer felt his chest — it was still warm, and he found a pulse. They carried him to a point where a car could pick him up. Saqer said he stood for a moment, traumatized by the scene. Then people shouted that the site had opened. The mad dash Everyone broke into a crazed run, he said. He saw several people wounded on the ground. One man, bleeding from his abdomen, reached out his hand, pleading for help. No one stopped. 'Everyone is just running to get to the aid, to get there first,' Saqer said. Omar Al-Hobi described the same scene four times when he went last week. Twice, he returned empty-handed; once, he managed to grab a pack of lentils. On the fourth day, he was determined to secure flour for his three children and pregnant wife. He said he and others inched their way forward under tank fire. He saw several people shot in the legs. One man fell bleeding to the ground, apparently dead, he said. Horrified, Al-Hobi froze, unable to move, 'but I remembered I have to feed my children.' He took cover in a greenhouse, then heard the announcement that the center was open and began to run. Avoiding thieves At the center, food boxes are stacked on the ground in an area surrounded by fences and earthen berms. Thousands rush in to grab what they can in a frantic melee. You have to move fast, Saqer said. Once supplies run out, some of those who came too late rob those leaving. He swiftly tore open a box and loaded the contents into a sack — juice, chickpeas, lentils, cheese, beans, flour and cooking oil. Then he took off running. There's only one route in and out of the center. But, knowing thieves waited outside, Saqer clambered over a berm, running the risk of being fired on by Israeli troops. 'It all depends on the soldiers' mood. If they are in a bad mood … they will shoot at me. If not, they will let me be,' he said. Heba Jouda said she saw a group of men beat up a boy of 12 or 13 years old and take his food as she left one of the Rafah centers. Another time, she said, thieves attacked an older man, who hugged his sack, weeping that his children had no food. They sliced his arm with a knife and ran off with the sack. Al-Hobi said he was trampled in the scramble for boxes. He managed to grab a bag of rice, a packet of macaroni. He snagged flour — but much of it was ruined in the chaos. At his family tent outside Khan Younis, his wife, Anwaar Saleh, said she will ration it all to make it last a week or so. 'We hope he doesn't have to go back. His life is the most important thing,' she said. Al-Hobi remains shaken — both by his brushes with death and the callousness that the race for food has instilled in everyone. 'No one will show you mercy these days. Everybody fends for themselves.'
