Khan Younis and Rafah, Gaza Strip, Palestine – In a small apartment in Khan Younis, surrounded by a war-torn landscape as far as the eye can see, Abeer al-Awady counts down the minutes until the long-awaited ceasefire.
The life of his daughter Hanaa depends on it.
The 15-year-old girl lets out a shriek every time Abeer lifts the blanket covering her face. Even the faintest glow triggers excruciating pain in the teen’s sensitive, swollen eyes, leaving Abeer no choice but to listen to his daughter’s anguished pleas to be covered again.
Under the cover is a face scarred by the relentless toll of cancer. A red mass protrudes from his left eye, his head appears shrunken, and his frail arms barely move. Her weakened voice and constant screams reflect the pain she has endured since her diagnosis three months ago.
Abeer prays that the Rafah crossing, which Gaza shares with Egypt and which has been closed by Israel since its ground operation in the southernmost region of the enclave in May, will be opened as soon as the ceasefire will come into force on Sunday morning. “I don’t know how much longer Hanaa will survive,” she said.
For thousands of injured Palestinians in Gaza and patients like Hanaa, the ceasefire accepted on Saturday by the Israeli cabinet after numerous political tensions, is more than a diplomatic step; it’s a question of survival. The Rafah crossing is expected to open as part of the deal, allowing Palestinians from Gaza to leave for treatment.
The territory’s health sector has been ravaged by war, depriving it of human resources, equipment and infrastructure, as well as medical personnel who braved Israeli attacks and have little left to offer his patients.
“Gaza’s health sector cannot offer anything in these critical conditions: no medicines, no specialists, no operations or procedures, no proper equipment,” Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, director of the Gaza Medical Complex -Shifa and head of the overseas processing department. , told Al Jazeera, adding that for many, the only chance of survival is to seek treatment abroad.
The ceasefire should facilitate the exit of Palestinians from Gaza in need of medical care through the Rafah border crossing. “Details on where patients will go for treatment are still unclear. The 5,300 Gazans who have left for treatment since October 2023 have gone to Arab and European countries, as well as the United States. It is still not clear which countries these cases will be directed to,” noted Abou Salmiya.
Death penalty
For Abeer, who also has two sons, Rafah’s passage is their family’s only hope of retaining Hanaa. “Hanaa’s diagnosis was like a death sentence for our family,” Abeer said, his voice breaking as tears streamed down his face. “But seeing his condition deteriorate every day, with nothing we or anyone in Gaza can offer him, is another level of torment. »
The family’s ordeal began when Hanaa’s eyes swelled, leading to a visit to an ophthalmologist who immediately referred her to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. There, tests confirmed the terrible news: Hanaa had cancer, with multiple tumors on her head.
Abeer recounted how his once energetic daughter, despite being born with brain atrophy and speech impediments, had thrived with keen 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 prevents her from eating and she now relies on a feeding tube connected 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. “Without 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 Palestinian patients and wounded in Gaza in need of care, including 12,000 in dire conditions. “Nearly 6,000 people injured by the war need urgent treatment in facilities abroad. These include approximately 4,000 amputees and more than 2,000 cases of serious spinal and spinal cord injuries, resulting in paralysis and paralysis,” he said.
In a speech at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on January 3, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) representative for the West Bank and Gaza, said that more than one Quarter of the 105,000 civilians injured during 15 months of Israeli bombing of Gaza face “life-changing injuries”. Calling hospitals “battlefields”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk cited WHO figures showing 654 attacks on health facilities, resulting in 886 deaths and 1,349 injured.
According to the organization, more than 1,000 health workers have been killed since October 2023, adding even more pressure to an overburdened health system, in which only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially operational and only 1,800 beds are available. .
“We are losing patients with pathologies that we could easily have treated without the war. We have lost almost 25 percent of our dialysis patients. Babies with heart problems die daily in incubators because we cannot operate on them. At least 20 patients with curable diseases die every day in front of helpless staff,” noted Abou Salmiya.
In these critical conditions, leaving the territory has been “a tedious and futile process”, especially since the closure of the Rafah crossing, the official added. “Restrictions imposed by Israel on Karem Abu Salem [Kerem Shalom] border post [between Gaza and Israel] This meant many were not allowed to leave despite being given the green light. For example, infants would be allowed to leave, but without their mothers,” he explained. Only 490 health cases have been allowed to leave the territories since May. “Out of 12,000 critical conditions, 490 is nothing,” commented Abou Salmiya.
According to Abou Salmiya, a ceasefire must be accompanied by an influx of resources and an easier departure for discharged patients. “We are in urgent need of 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 called on the WHO, the Palestinian Authority and Egypt to “ensure the safe and timely departure of medical cases destined for hospitalization around the world, bearing in mind that most have lost their travel documents due to war and displacement,” pleaded the official. .
Desperate hopes at Nasser hospital
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Raghd al-Farra, 14, lies on a hospital bed, barely able to speak. His dream of surviving his injuries and leading a normal life depends on his treatment outside Gaza.
Raghd was seriously injured on July 22, 2024, when an Israeli airstrike hit her family’s home. “The pain never stops,” she said, her words slow and strained. Raghd has spent most of the last six months in hospital, moving from one ward to another for nerve, bone and abdominal care.
His 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 nearby house, killing its occupants.
Raghd’s injuries were serious. Doctors diagnosed him with two spinal fractures, complex fractures to his right leg and massive internal bleeding. She underwent emergency surgery to remove her spleen and part of her lungs, but her condition remains critical. “She still suffers from severe fibrosis and other abdominal complications that require treatment not available in Gaza,” her mother said.
At the end of August, doctors at Nasser Hospital prepared a file for Raghd’s transfer abroad and submitted it to Israeli authorities through the WHO in mid-September. However, no approval has been granted and Raghd’s condition continues to deteriorate. She has difficulty breathing, moving or eating, and recently had her tonsils removed to address other complications.
Shadia fears her daughter’s time is running out. “If Rafah does not open soon, Raghd will not survive. His life depends on specialized care that Gaza cannot provide,” she said.
The stakes are enormous for patients and their families, who have endured immense suffering during the 15 months of war. “Our children are dying before our eyes,” Shadia said. “We are helpless because our medical system is overwhelmed. The ceasefire and the reopening of Rafah are our only hope.”
This piece was published in collaboration with Égab.
