Palestinians in Gaza desperate to travel abroad for life-saving treatment

Khan Younis and Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine – &nbsp, In a small apartment in Khan Younis, surrounded by a war-torn landscape as far as the eyes can see, Abeer al-Awady counts the minutes until the much-anticipated ceasefire.

Her daughter Hanaa’s life depends on it.

Every time Abeer lifts the blanket that protects her face, the 15-year-old screams in a piercing cry. Even the faintest glimmer of light triggers excruciating pain in the teenager’s sensitive, swollen eyes, leaving Abeer with no choice but to heed her daughter’s agonised pleas to be covered again.

A face obscured by the cancer’s unending toll can be seen beneath the blanket. A red mass protrudes from her left eye, her head appears shrunken, and her frail arms barely move. Her sagging voice and persistent cries reflect the pain she has gone through since getting tested three months ago.

Abeer requests that the Rafah crossing, which Gaza shares with Egypt and has been closed down by Israel since its ground-attack in the enclave’s southernmost region in May, opens as soon as the ceasefire is in effect early on Sunday. “I don’t know how much longer Hanaa will survive”, she said.

The Israeli cabinet’s decision to end the ceasefire on Saturday, following months of intense political unrest, is more than just a diplomatic milestone; it’s a matter of survival for thousands of Palestinians who are injured in Gaza and patients like Hanaa. As part of the deal, Palestinians in Gaza will be able to leave for medical care at the Rafah crossing.

The territory’s healthcare sector has been ravaged by the war, depleting it of human resources, equipment and infrastructure, and medical staff who have braved Israeli attacks and are left with little to offer their patients.

“There is nothing that Gaza’s healthcare sector could offer these critical conditions: no medication, no specialists, no operations or procedures, no proper equipment”, Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa Medical Complex and head of the Department of Treatment Abroad, told Al Jazeera, adding that for many the only chance of survival is treatment abroad.

Palestinians in Gaza who require medical care are set to leave the Rafah border crossing with ease thanks to the ceasefire. “It’s still unclear where patients will go for treatment,” he said. The 5, 300 Gazans who left for treatment since October 2023 went to Arab and European nations, as well as the US. The nations to which these cases will be addressed are still unsure, according to Abu Salmiya.

Death sentence

For Abeer, who also has two sons, the Rafah crossing is their family’s only hope to hold onto her Hanaa. Abeer cried as tears rushed down her face as she admitted that the diagnosis had “felt like a death sentence” for her family. “To watch her condition worsen daily, with nothing to offer her, is yet another level of torment,” she said.

Hanaa’s eyes swelled, prompting an eye doctor to refer her to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. There, tests confirmed the devastating news: Hanaa had cancer, with multiple tumours in her head.

Abeer recounted how her once-energetic daughter, despite being born with cerebral atrophy and having a speech impairment, had thrived with sharp hearing, clear vision, and a zest for life. But since her diagnosis, Hanaa has lost her sight completely, and her hearing is rapidly deteriorating. She now relies on a feeding tube that is connected to her stomach because of a massive tumour in her throat, which also prevents her from eating.

Due to the lack of medical supplies in Gaza, Hanaa has been receiving no cancer treatment for three months. “All she gets are painkillers to help her sleep”, Abeer said. “If it weren’t for this war and the blockade, Hanaa could have started treatment and recovered. Instead, her condition has worsened, robbing her of her senses and leaving her motionless”.

Every day, patients pass away.

According to Abu Salmiya, there are 20, 000 patients and wounded Palestinians in Gaza in need of treatment, of whom 12, 000 are in dire conditions. Nearly 6, 000 of the war’s wounded victims require urgent care in international hospitals. These include roughly 4, 000 amputees, and more than 2, 000 cases sustaining serious injuries to their backbone and their spinal cord, resulting in crippling and paralysis”, he said.

More than a quarter of the 105, 000 civilians who were injured during the 15-month Israeli pounding of Gaza were “life-changing injuries,” according to Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the West Bank and Gaza, in a speech delivered at a UN Security Council meeting on January 3. Describing hospitals as “battlegrounds”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk quoted WHO figures of 654 attacks on healthcare facilities, leading to 886 deaths and 1, 349 injuries.

According to the organisation, more than 1, 000 healthcare workers have been killed since October 2023, adding further strain to an overstretched healthcare system, in which only 16 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially operational, and as few as 1, 800 beds are available.

Without the war, we would have lost patients with ailments that we could have easily treated. We’ve lost nearly 25 percent of our dialysis patients. Because we are unable to operate on heart-related patients, their daily deaths occur in incubators. Every day, up to 20 patients with curable illnesses pass away in front of defenseless medical staff, according to Abu Salmiya.

For those critical conditions, exiting the territory has been “a tedious and futile process”, especially since the closure of the Rafah crossing, added the official. “Israel’s restrictions at the Karem Abu Salem]Kerem Shalom] border crossing]between Gaza and Israel] meant many weren’t allowed to leave although they were given the green light to. For instance, infants would be given permission to go, but without their mothers”, he explained. Since May, only 490 medical conditions have been permitted to leave the regions. “Out of 12, 000 critical conditions, 490 is nothing”, commented Abu Salmiya.

A ceasefire must also include a boost in resources and a simple exit for patients leaving, according to Abu Salmiya. “We urgently need plastic and burn surgeons, bone restoration consultants, as well as consultants in neurosurgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, thoracic surgery, maxillofacial surgery and cardiac surgery”, he said.

He also pleaded with the official, “ensure the safe and timely departure of medical cases from around the world, despite the fact that most people have lost their travel documents amidst the war and displacement,” and to the WHO, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt.

Desperate hopes in Nasser Hospital

At Khan Younis’s Nasser Hospital, 14-year-old Raghd al-Farra lies in a hospital bed, barely able to speak. Receiving treatment outside of Gaza is essential for her desire to survive her injuries and lead a normal life.

Raghd was critically injured on July 22, 2024, when an Israeli air strike hit her family’s home. “The pain never ends”, she said, her words slow and strained. Raghd has spent most of the past six months in the hospital, moving between departments for nerve, bone, and abdominal care.

Her mother, Shadia al-Farra, recounted the day their home was bombed. Shadia and three of her daughters, including Raghd, were on the upper floor, while her husband and their youngest child were downstairs. “The walls collapsed around us”, she said. The strike also destroyed a neighbouring home, killing its occupants.

Raghd’s injuries were severe. Doctors diagnosed her with two spinal fractures, complex fractures in her right leg, and massive internal bleeding. Although she underwent emergency surgery to remove her spleen and a portion of her lungs, her condition is still severe. Her mother reported that her mother still has “severe fibrosis” and other abdominal issues that necessitate treatment in Gaza.

In late August, doctors at Nasser Hospital prepared a file for Raghd’s transfer abroad, submitting it to Israeli authorities through WHO in mid-September. However, no approval has been granted, and Raghd’s condition continues to decline. She struggles to breathe, move, or eat, and recently had her tonsils removed to address further complications.

Shadia fears her daughter’s time is running out. “If Rafah doesn’t open soon, Raghd won’t survive. Her life depends on specialised care that Gaza cannot provide”, she said.

Patients and their families, who have endured excruciating suffering for the first 15 months of the conflict, are in high danger. “Our children are dying in front of our eyes”, Shadia said. “We are powerless because our medical system is overwhelmed. The ceasefire and Rafah’s reopening are our only hope”.

Source: Aljazeera