A group of 15 Palestinians, including eight children and their families, arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, by plane for treatment after being evacuated from Gaza via the Rafah border crossing to Egypt, according to the Reuters news agency.
Some seats on the plane were removed to make room for the most seriously injured children, who had to lie down on stretchers. Some children had their arms and legs bandaged. Some sat quietly next to their parents or loved ones, while others traveled alone.
Mohammed Abu Tabikh, 14, was one of the most seriously injured children on the flight. He suffered neck and spinal injuries when the car he was traveling in was hit during an attack.
“When I got injured, I felt a shock. And then I stopped moving,” he said.
The patients, some with serious injuries and one cancer patient, were the first to arrive after President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed pledged to treat 1,000 in UAE hospitals. Daily flights should bring in more.