The limits of ethical models: insights from paediatric trauma care in Gaza

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has created unprecedented challenges in paediatric trauma care, exposing the limitations of oft-championed traditional bioethical frameworks in conflict settings. This paper examines the ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare workers treating paediatric patients in Gaza amidst extreme resource scarcity, systemic violence, and infrastructural collapse. Using firsthand field observations and case studies, we explore the difficulties of informed consent, surrogate decision-making, and resource prioritization in an active armed conflict. The constraints of distributive justice, individual-focused paediatric autonomy, and non-maleficence are highlighted through examples such as amputation decisions, neonatal care, and managing unaccompanied minors.