United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the urgent evacuation of 2,500 children in Gaza who require immediate medical treatment, warning that they face an "imminent risk of death" in the coming weeks.

Guterres made the appeal after meeting with four US doctors who recently volunteered in Gaza and witnessed the devastating impact of the 15-month-long Israeli war on the territory’s healthcare system.

"I was deeply moved by my discussion with US doctors who worked in Gaza," Guterres said in a statement on Thursday. "These 2,500 children must be immediately evacuated with the guarantee that they will be able to return to their families and communities."

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has left thousands in dire need of urgent medical care. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 12,000 Palestinians were awaiting medical evacuations just before a ceasefire took effect on January 19.

Among those in critical condition, 2,500 children are at risk of dying within weeks if they do not receive treatment, according to Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon from California who worked in Gaza from March 25 to April 8 last year.

“There’s about 2,500 children who are at imminent risk of death in the next few weeks. Some are dying right now. Some will die tomorrow. Some will die the next day,” Sidhwa told reporters after his meeting with Guterres.

Many of these children require relatively simple medical procedures, but the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system has made treatment impossible. Sidhwa highlighted the case of a three-year-old boy with severe burns on his arm. While the burns had healed, the scar tissue was progressively restricting blood flow, putting him at risk of amputation.

As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, the UN chief has reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire and unhindered access to medical aid to prevent further loss of life. (ILKHA)