Palestinians in Gaza are desperate to travel abroad for life-saving treatment News about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Khan Younis and Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine – In a small apartment in Khan Younis, surrounded by war-torn countryside as far as the eye can see, Abeer al-Awady counts the minutes until the long-awaited ceasefire.

Her daughter Hanae’s life depends on it.

The 15-year-old lets out a piercing cry whenever Abeer lifts the blanket covering her face. Even the tiniest glimmer of light causes excruciating pain in the teenager’s sensitive, swollen eyes, leaving Abeer with no choice but to heed his daughter’s anguished pleas to cover himself again.

Under the blanket lies a face marked by the merciless toll of cancer. A red mass protrudes from her left eye, her head appears shriveled, and her weak arms barely move. Her weakened voice and constant crying speak to the pain she has endured since her diagnosis three months ago.

Abeer begs it Rafah crossingwhich Gaza shares with Egypt and was sealed by Israel since its ground operation in the southernmost region of the enclave in May, opens as soon as the ceasefire takes effect early Sunday. “I don’t know how much longer Hanaa will live,” she said.

For thousands of wounded Palestinians in Gaza and patients like Hanaa, the ceasefire agreed on Saturday by the Israeli cabinet after much political tension is more than a diplomatic milestone; it is a matter of survival. The Rafah crossing is expected to be opened as part of the deal, allowing Palestinians in Gaza to go for medical treatment.

The territory’s health sector has been ravaged by war, depleting human resources, equipment and infrastructure, and medical staff who braved Israeli attacks have little to offer their patients.

“There is none of that health sector in Gaza could offer these critical conditions: no drugs, no specialists, no surgeries or procedures, no proper equipment,” Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, director of the al-Shifa medical complex and head of the Department of Treatment Abroad, adding that for many, treatment abroad is the only chance for survival.

The ceasefire was put in place to facilitate the exit of Palestinians from Gaza in need of medical assistance through the Rafah border crossing. “Details about where patients will go for treatment are still unclear. The 5,300 Gazans who have gone for treatment since October 2023 have gone to Arab and European countries, as well as the US. It is still not clear to which countries these cases will go,” Abu Salmiya pointed out.

Capital punishment

For Abeer, who also has two sons, the Rafah crossing is their family’s only hope of keeping their Hanau. “Hanaa’s diagnosis felt like a death sentence for our family,” Abeer said, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face. “But watching her condition deteriorate every day, with nothing to offer me or anyone in Gaza, is another level of agony.”

The family’s ordeal began when Hana’s eyes became swollen, prompting a visit to an ophthalmologist who immediately referred her to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. There, tests confirmed the devastating news: Hanaa had cancer, with multiple tumors in her head.

Abeer said her once energetic daughter, despite being born with cerebral atrophy and speech impairment, thrived with sharp hearing, clear vision and a zest for life. But since her diagnosis, Hanaa has completely lost her sight, and her hearing is rapidly deteriorating. A huge tumor in her throat also meant she couldn’t eat and now relies on a feeding tube attached to her stomach.

For three months, Hanaa has not received any cancer treatment due to the lack of medical supplies in Gaza. “All she gets is painkillers to help her sleep,” Abeer said. “Had it not been for this war and the blockade, Hanaa could have started treatment and recovered. Instead, her condition worsened, robbing her of her senses and leaving her immobile.”

Patients die every day

According to Abu Salmiya, there are 20,000 sick and wounded Palestinians in Gaza who need treatment, 12,000 of whom are in critical conditions. “Almost 6,000 people wounded in the war need urgent treatment in institutions abroad. This includes approximately 4,000 amputees and more than 2,000 cases who sustained serious spinal and spinal cord injuries, resulting in maiming and paralysis,” he said.

In a speech delivered at the United Nations Security Council meeting on January 3, dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative for the West Bank and Gaza, said more than a quarter of the 105,000 civilians injured during Israel’s 15-month offensive on Gaza were facing “life-changing injuries”. Describing hospitals as “battlefields”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk cited World Health Organization figures of 654 attacks on health facilities, resulting in 886 deaths and 1,349 injuries.

According to the organization, more than 1,000 health workers have been killed since October 2023, further straining the overstretched health system, where only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially operational and only 1,800 beds are available.

“We are losing patients with conditions that we could have easily solved if there had been no war. We lost almost 25 percent of our dialysis patients. Heart children die every day in incubators because we cannot operate on them. Every day, as many as 20 patients die from curable diseases in front of the helpless staff,” said Abu Salmiya.

For those critical conditions, exiting the territory was a “tedious and futile process,” especially since the closure of the Rafah crossing, the official added. “Israeli restrictions in Karem Abu Salem [Kerem Shalom] border crossing [between Gaza and Israel] meant that many were not allowed to leave even though they had been given the green light to do so. For example, infants would be given permission to leave, but without their mother,” he explained. Only 490 people with health problems were allowed to leave those territories since May. “Out of 12,000 critical states, 490 are nothing,” Abu Salmiya commented.

According to Abu Salmiya, the cease-fire must be accompanied by an influx of resources and the ease of exiting patients. “We urgently need plastic and burn surgeons, bone reconstruction consultants, as well as consultants in neurosurgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, thoracic surgery, maxillofacial surgery and cardiac surgery,” he said.

He also called on WHO, the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to “ensure the safe and timely departure of medical cases for hospitalization worldwide, bearing in mind that most have lost their travel documents amid war and displacement,” the official said.

Desperate hopes at Nasser Hospital

At Khan Younis Nasser Hospital, 14-year-old Raghd al-Farra lies in a hospital bed, barely able to speak. Her dream of surviving her injuries and leading a normal life depends on treatment outside of Gaza.

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

Her mother, Shadia al-Farra, recounted the day their home was bombed. Shadia and her three daughters, including Raghd, were upstairs, while her husband and their youngest child were downstairs. “The walls came down around us,” she said. The impact also destroyed the house next door, killing its occupants.

Raghd’s injuries were severe. Doctors diagnosed her with two spinal fractures, compound fractures of her right leg and massive internal bleeding. She underwent emergency surgery to remove her spleen and parts of her lungs, but her condition remains critical. “She still has severe fibrosis and other abdominal complications that require treatment unavailable in Gaza,” her mother said.

At the end of August, doctors at Nasser Hospital prepared a file for Raghd’s transfer abroad, submitting it to the Israeli authorities through the WHO in mid-September. However, approval was not granted and Raghd’s condition continued to deteriorate. She struggles to breathe, move or eat, and recently had her tonsils removed to deal with 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 specialized care that Gaza cannot provide,” she said.

The stakes are high for patients and their families, who have endured immense suffering during the 15-month war. “Our children are dying before our eyes,” said Shadia. “We are powerless because our medical system is overloaded. A ceasefire and the reopening of Rafa is our only hope.”

This work was published in collaboration with Egab.