Twelve Gazan Children With Cancer Leave for Egypt and Jordan

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that twelve children with cancer and blood disorders managed to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt and Jordan, where they will continue their treatment safely and accompanied by their families.

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St. Jude Hospital and WHO coordinated the transfer of the child patients with officials from Egypt, Jordan, the occupied Palestinian territory, Israel, and the U.S.

"The current conflict has obstructed exit for patients from Gaza, while severely restricting the entry of essential medical supplies, including chemotherapy," StJude recalled in its website.

"The two specialized hospitals offering care to cancer patients, including children, have been overwhelmed, undersupplied, exposed to attacks and, due to the insecurity, forced to close. Cancer care services are therefore severely limited, meaning it is critically urgent to transfer patients outside Gaza for treatment," it added.

"In 2022, 122 children in the Gaza Strip were diagnosed with cancer, mainly leukemia. But these children receive only a portion of their cancer care within Gaza due to lack of some cancer services, and, therefore, require referrals to hospitals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Egypt, Israel and Jordan for further treatment," St. Jude highlightened.

This WHO-St. Jude humanitarian operation comes amid the ongoing attack by Israeli occupation forces against Gaza, where Israeli bombs have killed 11,078 people, including 4,506 children, 3,027 women, and 678 elderly people, since October 7.

In the early hours of Friday, Israeli airplans bombed the Al Shifa, Awdah, and Al Rantisi hospitals in Gaza. The Israeli aggression left six dead and large fires both inside and outside the medical facilities.

The bombing was accompanied by military ground actions that targeted the defenseless Palestinians who were seeking refuge inside or around the hospitals.