A SCOTTISH charity has opened its first paediatric operating theatres in the West Bank as hospitals in the Palestinian territory struggle with rising needs, it was revealed yesterday.

Kids Operating Room cut the ribbon on the facility at al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron earlier this week.

Until now, children have had to be treated in adult wards, with medics warning that hospital infrastructure is struggling to cope with rising demand for paediatric surgery amid Israel’s occupation, restricted movement and the wider war in the Middle East.

The Dundee-based charity, which assembles medical equipment for facilities in countries experiencing humanitarian crises, said the Hebron project, involving 3,000 pieces of equipment, was one of its most challenging to date.

It plans to open two further paediatric theatres in Bethlehem and Jericho.

Co-founder Garreth Wood said: “Children in the West Bank still get appendicitis. They’re still born with conditions that need surgery. Conflict doesn’t change that — it just makes getting them the care they need much harder.

“This theatre isn’t a temporary fix, it’s permanent infrastructure that will serve children in Hebron for decades to come.

“We now turn our attention to Bethlehem and Jericho, so every child across the West Bank has the same access to safe surgical care.”

Al-Ahli Hospital general director Dr Youssef Al-Takrouri said: “There is a long waiting list for children who need these operations, and some have to wait a long time for surgery.

“Until now, we have operated two days a week because we share an operating room with other surgical services.

“With a dedicated operating room, we will be able to operate throughout the week, specifically for children and paediatric cardiac surgery.”