'Death sentence': 'Israel' to force ill Palestinians back to Gaza
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Human rights groups warn that deporting sick Palestinians to Gaza could lead to preventable deaths amid the collapse of the healthcare system.
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16-year-old Palestinian child lies in his hospital room in al-Quds for the past two years, and he's been painting colorful illustrations that remind him of his home in Gaza (Al-Najjar family)
"Israel’s" reported plan to force dozens of ailing Palestinians from hospitals in the eastern part of al-Quds back to Gaza has drawn outrage from families, doctors, and human rights advocates, who warn the move could prove fatal for many patients, CNN reported.
Sixteen-year-old Yamen al-Najjar, who suffers from a rare bleeding disorder, was evacuated from Gaza City just days before October 7, 2023. Now confined to a hospital bed in the eastern part of al-Quds, he and his mother have been told they will be sent back to Gaza next week, a decision his mother calls “a death sentence for my son.”
Yamen is one of at least 89 patients from Gaza and their companions slated for deportation from Makassed and Augusta Victoria hospitals, according to medical staff. Most doctors say they are unable to survive in Gaza, where 94% of hospitals have been damaged or destroyed due to Israeli bombings.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed it had been asked by "Israel’s" military liaison office, COGAT, to coordinate the transfers.
Human rights group Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) denounced the deportations as “unacceptable from moral, medical, and legal standpoints.” The group’s Aseel Aburass told CNN that "Israel", having “destroyed Gaza’s healthcare system,” remains responsible for ensuring treatment for patients under its control.
Not an isolated incident
Palestinian lawmaker Ahmad Tibi echoed that view, warning that “sending them back under the current conditions will be a death blow; instead of dying from an airstrike, they will die from being deprived of medical treatment.”
At Makassed Hospital, patients voiced despair. Nafez al-Qahwaji, who requires dialysis three times a week, said, “Why do they want to throw me to hell? I will die there in two days.” Others, like Nael Ezzeddine from Jabalia, expressed resignation, saying, “They want to force us to leave… I just want to go to my family, even if I end up dying.”
This is not the first such attempt: in March 2024, "Israel" planned to return 22 patients, including newborns and cancer sufferers, before the Supreme Court intervened following a PHRI petition and CNN report.
For Yamen, who spends his days painting scenes of Gaza’s beaches and bright childhood memories, the uncertainty is unbearable.
“I miss my home, my siblings, my school. I want to rest,” he told CNN. “I hope every child in Gaza lives like any child in the world, without fear.”
