June 28th 2024.
Over the past month, the world has watched with concern as the conflict between Israel and Gaza has intensified. Amidst the chaos and violence, there is one glimmer of hope - the evacuation of dozens of sick and injured children from Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
These children, including 20 cancer patients, have been transferred to Cairo, Egypt, with the help of various organizations such as COGAT, the Israeli military, the US, and the World Health Organisation. This news has brought a moment of relief for the worried parents, who have been unable to access lifesaving care for their children for the past eight months due to the ongoing bombardment in Gaza.
One of these parents, Samira Al-Saeedi, spoke to CNN about the difficult situation in northern Gaza, where she and her six-year-old daughter Jouri have been living. She described nine months of exhaustion and displacement, and how people were resorting to stealing just to survive in the midst of the siege. For sick children like Jouri, who are already battling serious illnesses, this added hardship makes it even harder for them to fight for their lives.
CNN footage from Nasser Hospital showed the heartbreaking reality of the situation, with five-year-old blood cancer patient Yasmin in immense pain and barely able to move on her hospital mattress. Her mother, Umm Ubaida, shared the heart-wrenching truth that her daughter has been receiving blood treatments and experiencing increasing pain every day. She is exhausted and desperate for her daughter to receive the necessary care that is not available in Gaza.
Despite the evacuation of these children, the Rafah crossing - a vital transit point - remains closed, causing further delays and difficulties for those in need of medical treatment. The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, welcomed the evacuation but also appealed for increased medical passage through all possible routes, highlighting the dire situation in Gaza where more than 25,000 sick people require urgent treatment abroad.
This evacuation of 68 children is only a fraction of the total number of sick individuals in Gaza, which the Ministry of Health reports to be over 25,000, including 980 children with cancer. The ongoing Israeli military campaign has not only caused immense loss of life and injuries, but it has also severely damaged the medical system and depleted food supplies. While Israel maintains that there is no limit on aid entering Gaza, the reality is that the strict inspection regime, land crossing restrictions, and continuous bombing have made it nearly impossible for aid to reach those in need.
The conflict between Israel and Gaza has been ongoing for years, and it has made it extremely difficult for chronically ill patients to access medical treatment abroad. Even before the current escalation, the partial blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt has caused numerous hurdles for those seeking medical care. And now, with the added impact of the war, these patients are facing even greater challenges.
For the parents of these sick children, the evacuation has brought some relief, but it has also come with its own set of challenges. Many family members were not given approval to accompany their children, and even those who were allowed to travel faced delays and uncertainty. Shadi Mustafa Hussein Yassin, whose 11-year-old son Siraj was evacuated, was unable to join them because he is under 60 years old. Siraj, a blood cancer patient, requires a sample from his father for a marrow transplant, but now they are separated, adding further stress and difficulty to their already dire situation.
As the world continues to watch and hope for a resolution to the conflict, the focus must remain on providing much-needed aid and support to those suffering in Gaza. The evacuation of these children is a small step, but there are still many more who urgently need help. It is crucial that all possible routes for medical passage are opened, and that the siege on Gaza is lifted so that aid can reach those who need it most.
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