Italian doctors help young Gazan war victims return to health

Doctors in Italy say specialist treatment for children injured in Gaza is giving them and their families hope of a new life after months of unimaginable trauma.

More than 200 young victims have now been brought to hospitals across the country in 16 different humanitarian missions. 

Among the latest arrivals is nine-month-old Hani, who traveled to Rome with his mother, Laila, after surviving an explosion in which he lost his leg. Their journey to safety has been harrowing.

"They struck my home, my family," Laila told CGTN. "My son was in my arms and at that moment I didn't understand what had happened, and then I looked down and saw he had lost his leg." 

Doctors in Gaza were unsure he would survive. 

"My son was just four months old, he is not to blame for all of this," she said.

Their ordeal mirrors that of many families brought to Italy through the MedEvac missions run by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, working in coordination with the National Civil Protection Authority.

After initial assessments by emergency medical teams, the children are brought to Italy for treatment unavailable in Gaza and residence permits are issued so families can remain for as long as their children require ongoing care.

Stefania Onorini, a doctor with the Ares 118 Emergency Medical Service, says the injuries they treat are among the most severe seen in childhood trauma. 

"We see children with head injuries, and amputations, severe trauma caused by explosives," she told CGTN. "They're victims of a terrible situation, and when treating children there is certainly a different level of sensitivity."

Path forward

In Rome, specialists at the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital are preparing to fit baby Hani with a prosthetic leg. However, staff emphasize that recovery requires far more than medical procedures.

Paediatrician Dr Lucia Celesti said these requirements include "cultural mediators, volunteers (and) social services - not only clinical support but also human and psychological support.

"These children and families need to feel safe again."

For Laila, that support has offered a path forward, and after months of fear and uncertainty, she is allowing herself to look ahead.

"My hope is to see my son walk and play like all the other children in the world. I hope that the war will end and the people of Gaza can live in peace."