'Palestinian kids will be scarred for the rest of their lives'

Lester Kiewit interviews Steve Sosebee, CEO of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

Listen below.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents have suffered relentless violence since Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on 7 October, killing about 1200 civilians and taking about 250 hostages.

There have been about 26 700 casualties in Gaza, so far, including at least 10 000 children.

The relentless and seemingly indiscriminate Israeli bombardment has left more than 65 600 people injured, including thousands of children.

In November, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres characterised Gaza as a "children's graveyard".

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund deployed international volunteers to offer complimentary medical assistance to tens of thousands of ailing Arab children in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq.

The organisation facilitates cost-free surgeries for over a thousand injured Arab children beyond the Middle East, irrespective of their nationality, race, or religion.

Recently, Sosebee initiated HEAL Palestine as a commitment to ease the plight of Palestinian children.

The organisation is focused on tackling Health, Education, Aid, and Leadership (Heal).

Every single child in Gaza is experiencing psychological trauma, says Sosebee, who worries about how they will heal amidst the ongoing violence.

"It's an absolute humanitarian crisis; it's genocide.".

- Steve Sosebee, CEO – Palestine Children’s Relief Fund

"They're being educated by suffering, by violence."

- Steve Sosebee, CEO – Palestine Children’s Relief Fund

"These kids will be scarred for the rest of their lives."

- Steve Sosebee, CEO – Palestine Children’s Relief Fund

"It's an ongoing conflict and one in which these children continue to be exposed to the extreme levels of violence."

- Steve Sosebee, CEO – Palestine Children’s Relief Fund

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