Khaberni - Al-Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza saw a tragic scene, where the mother Iman Hamdouna embraced the body of her child Nidal Abu Rubai (two years old), who passed away after a battle with illness, following the denial of his travel for treatment.
The mother sat on the ground embracing her little one to her chest, surrounded by relatives, and said in pain, "This is a child, not a toy in your hands, oh world!", while her child’s body lay in front of one of the hospital departments.
Nidal suffered from an enlargement in the spleen and liver, in addition to blood breakdown that led to the hemoglobin level dropping to 5, a dangerous level that required urgent intervention. The mother Iman said that her son's condition "required specialized treatment not available in the hospitals of the sector," noting that the delay in his departure for treatment led to a deterioration in his health condition.
The Palestinian mother’s fears are increasing for her other daughter, Rital, who suffers from high liver enzymes, chest infections, and protein deficiency, fearing she might meet the same fate. She added, "Today I lost my son, and I do not want to lose my daughter; her condition is difficult. Where are the conscience, the world, and humanity?", appealing to the Arab and Islamic countries to intervene and send her daughter for treatment outside the sector.
Nidal's death comes at a time when Israel continues to impose severe restrictions on the movement of patients through the crossings, despite the ceasefire agreement running since October 11, 2025, and the reopening of the Rafah crossing on February 2 with severe restrictions that contradict the agreement.
The spokesman for Al-Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital, Khalil Al-Daqr, said that more than 20,000 patients and injured are in need of treatment outside Gaza, amid local medical resource shortages. He explained that 1,400 patients and injured, who were waiting for their transfer for external treatment, died, warning that the numbers "are increasing day by day" as Israel continues to restrict the exportation of patients.
Palestinian estimates indicate that 22,000 injured and sick need to leave the sector to receive treatment, amid the catastrophic situation of the health sector due to the genocide war that targeted hospitals and medical facilities and detained medical staff, resulting in a widespread collapse of the health system.
Between February 2 and February 18 of this year, only 640 Palestinians, including patients and their companions, left the Gaza Strip, according to the government media office, while the movement across the crossing before the war was normal and subject to Palestinian and Egyptian management without Israeli interference.
