Israel closes Rafah, a 'death sentence' for thousands of sick and injured | Israeli-Palestinian conflict News

Deir el-Balah, Gaza – Sadeel Hamdan was barely six weeks old when Israel launched its fierce war on Gaza.

She now lies silently on a pediatric hospital bed at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital – weak, intubated, with a swollen stomach and yellowing skin.

Three months ago, doctors managed to put his name on a list of patients who absolutely had to leave Gaza to seek treatment abroad.

But then, just days before its evacuation, Israel invaded Rafah and closed the only available passage for the sick to leave the besieged enclave, trapping Sadeel and many others.

Abdul Majeed, who has difficulty breathing

Abdul Majeed al-Sabakhi, 20, lives on an oxygen respirator in hospital.

Speaking is a struggle for young people affected by cystic fibrosis since childhood.

During the first month of Israel's war on Gaza, the Israeli army bombed the house next to the al-Sabakhis in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The impact also destroyed their house.

“That day, I was pulled out of the rubble, almost suffocated by the toxic smoke and dust,” he recalls.

Abdul Majeed spent about a month in intensive care on ventilators, which further damaged his lungs to the point that he is now dependent on them.

“I lived almost normally before the war. I walked, I moved and I attended university without obstacles,” says Abdul Majeed.

“But after the war… I became incapable of doing anything. »

Moved with his parents, his four brothers and his two sisters to Rafah then to Deir el-Balah, he suffered in the tent and finally had to be transported to the hospital to remain on oxygen.

Abdul Majeed was supposed to travel, accompanied by his brother Osama, 21, for an urgent lung operation, but then came news that the Rafah crossing had been closed.

“Closing the passage is a death sentence for me and for many patients like me,” Abdul Majeed says, panting as the effort of speaking shakes his frail body.

“Every day I am delayed, my chances of survival decrease.

“I have lost so much weight because my weak lungs prevent me from even eating.”

Osama stays with Abdul Majeed in the hospital day and night.

“Before the war, we went out together, stayed up late with friends and had fun. Despite his illness, his condition was stable,” explains Osama.

“Abdel Majeed is not only my brother; he is my companion and my friend.

Ahed, a young mother immobilized

Ahed Abu Holi nearly lost her leg when the roof of their home collapsed on her family during Israeli bombardment two months ago.

His leg was in a terrible state, his tissues and bones were badly damaged. After five reconstructive surgeries, all of which failed, his doctors said there was little else they could do to help him and recommended he see specialists abroad.

Otherwise, he was told, the only solution available to them would be to amputate his leg.

Today, the 25-year-old mother can no longer move and spends her days in a hospital bed with her leg heavily bandaged and bolted.

Her two-year-old son is being cared for by family, but she can't see him because she fears he might catch something in the hospital.

Her husband and sister stay with her there in turns, rushing to get necessities, as her husband did, leaving her for a short time to find food for them.

“Two days before my trip, the crossing was closed…and it doesn’t look like it will reopen,” Ahed says.

“I had really hoped to be able to travel. I waited so long and suffered so much. For two months, my life has been at a standstill.

“I cannot see or take care of my only child. I suffer every day when they change the dressing on my wound.

The wounds on Ahed's leg are not healing, a complication now common in Gaza, where the population is extremely malnourished and bodies too weak to recover.

Depending on how her condition progresses, doctors say they may have to amputate it as there will be no other way to save Ahed.

“All I want to do is walk again before it’s too late,” she said.

“I am still young, at the beginning of my married life, and I want to continue my life and take care of my child. Amputation is a nightmare for me if the passage remains closed.

Sadeel, a baby fighting for his life

Sadeel was diagnosed with enlarged liver and cirrhosis and enlarged spleen at six months old, and his condition worsened day by day.

Her mother, Heba, 32, is constantly at her side, worrying but trying to cope with her daughter's worsening condition.

“My daughter had jaundice since birth and her condition worsened with moving until her stomach swelled noticeably, prompting us to take her to the hospital,” explains Heba.

Doctors say the treatment Sadeel needs is not available in Gaza, making the situation even more difficult because the crossing was closed just as she was getting permission to leave.

“The news of the closure of the level crossing came like a bolt of lightning,” says Heba, a mother of four.

“I had prepared for the trip and my children were ready for me to accompany their sister for treatment. But everything has changed.

On May 7, Israeli tanks invaded the Rafah border crossing, displacing up to a million Palestinians from across Gaza who had sought refuge there since the start of the war.

Sadeel's condition is critical, with doctors needing to carry out an emergency procedure to drain the fluid that is accumulating in his abdominal cavity due to his condition.

“It’s so cruel to have to watch my daughter slowly die in front of me, without being able to do anything,” says Heba.

“What is my child’s fault?” A 10 month old child is suffering!

Warnings

Gaza's health ministry says more than 20,000 people are injured or suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses like cancer, diabetes and heart problems.

“From [Israel] “After occupying the Rafah crossing, no sick or injured person was able to leave Gaza, and those who were abroad seeking treatment were unable to return home,” said Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory said in a May 18 statement that the total number of people affected could be spread between around 11,000 injured and more than 10,000 people suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses.

The observer called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to put pressure on the Israeli authorities to open the crossing points out of Gaza, particularly at Rafah.

“Israel's continued closure of the crossing since the 7th of this month has intensified the humanitarian crisis for the Palestinians,” the statement said, adding that it “accelerates the commission of genocide, disrupts the flow of humanitarian and medical supplies and further paralyzes more of the already existing systems.” limited operation of local hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, said in an article on X that Israel's treatment of civilians in Gaza constantly endangers life and health.

There are reports of intense hostilities near Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north of the country. #Gaza – and the growing influx of injured patients at the hospital – are deeply concerning given the facility's limited capacity to provide care.

Evacuation orders, intensified bombings and…

– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 19, 2024

“The entry of emergency medical teams and medical supplies through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza has been blocked since May 6. Inside the Gaza Strip, supplies of essential medicines and fuel are very low and movement is restricted due to security constraints,” he wrote.

“We have lost the words to describe the situation in Gaza. It is high time for a ceasefire and peace for civilians.”