Toddler who has just days to live evacuated from Gaza for urgent medical care
CNN
A Palestinian toddler who doctors say only has days to live without urgent medical treatment was evacuated from Gaza by the Jordanian military on Monday, in a special mission after Israel had repeatedly delayed her evacuation.
A Palestinian toddler who doctors say only has days to live without urgent medical treatment was evacuated from Gaza by the Jordanian military on Monday, in a special mission after Israel had repeatedly delayed her evacuation. Two-year-old Habiba al-Askari left the besieged Palestinian enclave after a mammoth effort at the “highest level” in Amman, a Jordanian official familiar with the negotiations told CNN. Israel initially approved Habiba’s treatment abroad last month, before it denied authorization for medical evacuations for more than two weeks, according to international aid groups. Doctors believe Habiba has protein C deficiency – a rare but highly treatable genetic condition, which causes excessive blood clotting – and warned that the child will likely lose her right leg and possibly arms. But thousands of children like Habiba cannot access life-saving care in Gaza, where more than 15 months of Israel’s siege and bombardment has paralyzed the medical system. Following a CNN report on Habiba last month, Jordan decided to evacuate her to Amman for urgent medical treatment. Israel then delayed the mission, Jordanian officials told CNN last week. Israeli authorities did not respond to CNN’s repeated requests for comment at the time.
