Belgian authorities are welcoming four children evacuated from Gaza for oncology treatment from Monday. This is the second medical mission of this kind organised in collaboration by the EU, WHO, Egypt and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF).
This is the second medical mission of this kind. Belgium is the second EU member state to host Palestinian children on its soil to enable them to have access to medical treatment.
Three of these four young patientsaged 6 to 10, need treatment for cancer. For such a trip, these children are accompanied by their loved onesIn total, the Belgian authorities are welcoming 12 people as part of this medical evacuation mission which began thousands of kilometres away.
“These patients were evacuated by the PCRF (Palestine Children’s Relief Fund), before Rafah was closed, to Egypt, which serves as a hub, and from there to Belgium. As you can see, the journey is not easy.” says Tareq Hailat, head of the overseas treatment program for the PCRF.
“These patients have lost everything in their home. They’ve lost their homes. They’ve lost loved ones. So we had to make sure that these patients, who have already been moved once, feel comfortable when we take them to another location.“, he continues.
While Belgium is responsible for the care, the transport was carried out by a Slovak medical plane. This is the second mission of this kind led by the European Union, the World Health Organization (WHO), Egypt and the PCRF. A few days ago, Spain has welcomed 16 young patientsalso accompanied by family members, making a total of 41 people.
“Spain has welcomed patients with orthopedic problems, chronic diseases or heart problems. Belgium, for its part, has focused on oncology patients.” explains Tareq Hailat.
While welcoming this international cooperation, he stressed that thousands of Palestinian children needed medical attention.
To carry out these evacuations, the PCRF draws up a patient list who are in urgent need of medical assistance. This list is forwarded to the European Union and the International Health Organization (WHO). However, the names are not given, these are patients. Then it is up to the Member States, depending on the treatments they can provide, to choose how many children they wish to take in.
These patients will remain in Europe while they are being treated, and Tareq Hailat does not imagine that they will be able to return home until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
“What is the point of treating children if you send them back to the same place where they were first injured?” he wonders.
