Abdel Karim Wahdan is too weak to speak now. When visitors come, the eight-year-old pretends to sleep so no one will look at him. Between his frequent dialysis sessions, he cries in pain. His bones ache, he says.
Abdel Karim is dying—a death that could be prevented if he weren’t trapped in Gaza, cut off from the treatment that could save him. What began as acute kidney failure has become chronic. His small body swells, and his days are spent between hospital beds and painful injections he dreads.
“My son is suffering so much. The hospital has become his home. The doctors can’t help him, and all I can do is watch and pray,” says his mother, Najwa Wahdan.
As his condition worsened, Abdel Karim was also diagnosed with malnutrition as food vanished from Gaza’s markets. His only chance is to leave Gaza for medical care abroad. His mother filed a medical referral four months ago, but they’re still waiting.
Abdel Karim is one of thousands in Gaza desperate for treatment outside the besieged territory. Getting approval for evacuation is a slow, grueling process that can take years. Zahir al-Wehadi, from Gaza’s health ministry, says, “We have over 16,000 patients who need treatment abroad. More than 600 have already died waiting.”
Tens of thousands in Gaza have been wounded by Israeli strikes and gunfire in the past 22 months of war, which has killed over 61,000 people. Disease and illness—rare before the war—now spread rapidly as garbage piles up, clean water runs out, and people crowd together with little access to hygiene.
Repeated Israeli attacks on Gaza’s hospitals and the blockade of essential supplies have left the healthcare system in ruins. Doctors often lack even basic supplies, leaving them no choice but to refer patients abroad—if they can get out.
Israel controls all movement in and out of Gaza. Patients needing treatment abroad must get approval from COGAT, the Israeli military agency overseeing Palestinian humanitarian affairs. In December, the World Health Organization warned that evacuations were so slow it could take 5 to 10 years to clear the backlog. COGAT has not responded to requests for comment.
The wait is agonizing. Patients and families have no power to speed things up—they can only hope approval comes before death does.
For Abdel Karim, the long delay has taken a brutal toll. He can no longer walk. When his blood pressure drops too low, he goes temporarily blind and suffers seizures.
“What I loved most about Abdel Karim was his calmness—he never caused trouble like other kids,” his mother says. “He loved studying Arabic and English. He once dreamed of becoming a doctor.”
But months of sickness have changed him. “For the last three months, he’s been withdrawn, angry, yelling, refusing to speak to anyone. This isn’t the quiet boy I knew,” Najwa says.
Najwa Wahdan shares a rare moment of joy with her son after managing to buy eggplants—some of the only fresh vegetables they’ve had in months.
Many children have died waiting for evacuation.
Amina al-Jourani wasn’t too worried at first when her 15-year-old son, Nidal, came home with a foot injury in January 2024. Israel had bombed a nearby house, and Nidal had rushed to help carry the wounded to the hospital on his bicycle. When he returned, he had a small cut on his foot.
“At first, we didn’t think much of it. It seemed like a simple wound,” Jourani says. But the next day…Nidal developed a fever, began losing weight, and broke out in red spots. Doctors waited a year and a half before approving his transfer abroad, as his condition—though ongoing—wasn’t considered life-threatening. Then the European Hospital, where he was staying, was bombed, forcing him to return home. His fever spiked, his foot turned blue, and at another hospital, doctors diagnosed kidney failure. He died two days later, on June 2, 2025.
Doctors say they’re overwhelmed, especially since Israel tightened its blockade on aid to Gaza in March, worsening the humanitarian crisis. Aid groups warn of famine, while Israel denies starvation is occurring, blaming the UN for poor aid distribution—a claim aid organizations strongly reject.
Dr. Ragheb Warsh Agha, head of gastroenterology at al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, explained, “Many children die from lack of resources or delayed transfer approvals. Often, treatment is simple—basic medicines, unavailable treatments, or missing equipment for tests.”
Overcrowding forces three children into a single bed, spreading disease more easily. Starvation weakens immune systems, making recovery harder without proper nutrition.
For parents trapped in bureaucracy, waiting for that one piece of paper that could save their child, the helplessness is unbearable.
Jourani recalled, “At his sickest, Nidal gave me 100 shekels he’d saved, saying, ‘Mom, keep this so I can buy sweets and snacks when the crossing opens.’”
Two and a half months after his death, she received word: his evacuation request had been approved.
“Nidal died waiting,” she said, crying. “The money is still in my purse.”
FAQS
### **FAQs: Sick Children in Gaza Enduring Agonizing Waits for Medical Evacuations**
#### **Basic Questions**
**1. Why do sick children in Gaza need medical evacuations?**
Many children in Gaza suffer from severe illnesses (like cancer, heart defects, or injuries) that local hospitals can’t treat due to shortages of equipment, medicine, and specialists.
**2. What is a medical evacuation?**
A medical evacuation (medevac) is when a patient is transported to another country or region for urgent treatment they can’t get locally.
**3. Why are there delays in evacuating sick children from Gaza?**
Delays happen due to border restrictions, bureaucratic hurdles, lack of coordination, and limited permits from Israeli and Egyptian authorities.
**4. How long do children typically wait for evacuation?**
Some wait weeks or months, while others die before getting approval. Cases vary depending on the child’s condition and political circumstances.
**5. Who decides which children get evacuated?**
Approval comes from Israeli or Egyptian authorities, often with input from Palestinian officials and international organizations like the WHO or Red Cross.
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#### **Intermediate Questions**
**6. What are the biggest challenges in evacuating children from Gaza?**
– **Border closures** – Strict security checks limit movement.
– **Lack of funding** – Not all families can afford transportation.
– **Administrative delays** – Paperwork and permits take too long.
– **Dangerous conditions** – Conflict can block access to borders.
**7. Which countries accept evacuated children from Gaza?**
Common destinations include Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, and European nations (if NGOs or governments sponsor them).
**8. How do families apply for medical evacuations?**
They work with local hospitals, the Palestinian Health Ministry, or aid groups to submit requests to Israeli/Egyptian authorities.
**9. What happens if a child’s evacuation is denied?**
Families must reapply, seek alternative routes, or rely on limited local care—often worsening their child’s condition.
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#### **Advanced Questions**
**10. How does the ongoing conflict affect medical evacuations?**
War disrupts hospitals, roads, and coordination efforts, making evacuations even harder. Some children die before reaching safety.
**11. Are there
