Six times, Islam al-Rayahen's family begged Israeli authorities. Six times they got no.
The 12-year-old in central Gaza was in pain, emaciated, and severely affected by his leukemia. He needed a stem cell transplant – but Israel said "for security reasons" no to a medical evacuation, reports news agency AP.
In late October, he died.
Thousands of patients are waiting for Israel's permission to leave the Gaza Strip, where healthcare lies in ruins after over a year of war. Among them are at least 2,500 children in urgent need of care, according to UN children's organization Unicef.
They can't afford to wait. These children will die. They are dying while waiting – and to me, it's striking that the world is letting it happen, says Unicef's Rosalia Bollen to AP.
"Over seven years"
Fewer than one child per day is allowed to travel out of Gaza to receive care, stated the UN organization in October.
If this deadly slow pace continues, it will take over seven years to evacuate the 2,500 children in need of urgent care, said spokesperson James Elder then.
Osaid Shaheen will soon turn two. If he doesn't leave Gaza, he may soon lose his sight.
In April, he was diagnosed with cancer on the retina. It wasn't until November that the family received an answer to their plea for medical evacuation: no, for security reasons. Meanwhile, the cancer had spread and reached the fourth stage. Osaid has received chemotherapy in three rounds, but doctors are struggling to get more.
I didn't think a child could be rejected for security reasons, says his mother Sondos Abu Libda to AP.
He's just a child. What will his life be like if he can't see?
May be forced to amputate
Cogat, the unit within Israel's Defense Ministry that handles civilian matters in Gaza, claims they are doing everything they can to approve medical evacuations of children and their families. They have not wanted to comment on either Islam al-Rayahen's or Osaid Shaheen's cases, writes AP.
Other children need care for injuries they sustained in Israeli attacks, notes Unicef.
Twelve-year-old Mazyona lost her two siblings and large parts of her face when two rockets hit her home. Four times she has been denied exit permits for care.
Four-year-old Elia has fourth-degree burns and an amputated leg since her home was engulfed in flames in an Israeli attack. She has been granted permission to leave, but the bureaucracy is complicated and the queue is long. If it takes too long, she may be forced to amputate her other leg as well.
Children who have survived ruthless bombings are being sentenced to death from their injuries, said UN organization's James Elder in October.
In total, around 12,000 sick and injured Palestinians of all ages are in need of immediate medical evacuation from the Gaza Strip, announced the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier in December.
The Health Department in the Hamas-controlled area reports that the number is over 20,000.
According to UN children's organization Unicef, around 2,500 children are in urgent need of care that they cannot receive in Gaza.
Between January 1 and May 7 this year, an average of 296 children per month were evacuated from the Gaza Strip. Since the border crossing in Rafah was closed in May, the number has dropped to 22 children per month, according to Unicef.
Many are denied evacuation for so-called security reasons. According to, among others, Doctors Without Borders, it often involves Israeli authorities accusing the children's guardians or other accompanying adults of terrorist connections.
