The Israeli authorities have permitted Mazyouna Damoo, a 12-year-old Palestinian lady whose face was “ripped off” when an Israeli missile struck her house in June, to depart Gaza for medical remedy, 5 days after the Guardian reported that repeated requests for her pressing medical evacuation had been denied.
Final Friday, the Guardian highlighted the Damoo household’s determined battle to get Mazyouna evacuated from Gaza to the US to obtain emergency surgical procedure on devastating accidents to her face sustained in a missile assault by the Israel Protection Forces (IDF), which tore off half of her cheek and uncovered her jawbone.
The household mentioned that, since June, 5 requests for medical evacuation had been refused, with no clarification from the Coordination of Authorities Actions within the Territories (Cogat), the Israeli army physique in Gaza answerable for issuing permits to journey overseas.
Her evacuation was confirmed by Cogat, which instructed the Guardian: “Following an intensive analysis and prognosis of her medical situation, the lady has been granted approval to depart Gaza accompanied by her mom. Ongoing coordination with the related authorities will make sure the continuation of her remedy.”
It added: “Cogat makes each effort to approve the departure of youngsters and their households for medical remedy, topic to safety checks carried out by Israeli safety authorities earlier than they enter Israel’s sovereign territory.”
Docs had warned that Mazyouna’s life can be at risk if she didn’t obtain pressing surgical procedure. There may be nonetheless shrapnel in her neck inflicting her immense ache each time she strikes and her wound has turn out to be contaminated. She requires specialised maxillofacial surgical procedure, which isn’t out there in Gaza.
After initially saying that Mazyouna’s mom wouldn’t be permitted to journey along with her, Cogat has now allowed her mom and youthful sister to depart along with her. In addition they sustained accidents throughout the June assault, which killed two of her different siblings.
The three left Gaza for Jordan this morning by way of the Kerem Shalom border crossing and shall be flown to the US for Mazyouna’s surgical procedure as quickly as potential.
Ahmed Damoo, Mazyouna’s father, has been left alone in Gaza, with no prospect of being reunited together with his surviving members of the family.
“I’m completely happy my daughter will lastly get the medical remedy she desperately wants,” he mentioned. “Nevertheless it breaks my coronary heart not understanding when – or if – I’ll ever see my household once more.”
In keeping with the UN kids’s support company, Unicef, there are an estimated 2,500 kids in Gaza in pressing want of medical remedy they can not obtain within the territory, the place most well being infrastructure has been destroyed over the previous 14 months of conflict. It mentioned kids had been being evacuated at a charge of fewer than one a day.
FAJR Scientific, a medical support organisation, has been attempting to evacuate Mazyouna for remedy to the US since June. “Because of months of delays, Mazyouna’s situation has deteriorated considerably,” mentioned Mosab Nasser, chief govt officer at FAJR Scientific, who flew to Jordan on Wednesday to accompany the household to the US for remedy.
Nasser mentioned kids in Gaza had been being denied the medical care that would save them and had been then prevented from leaving for locations the place assist awaited them, with the Israeli authorities making exceptions “solely when it’s too late”.
He cited the instance of four-year-old Elia Younis, who suffered fourth-degree burns and amputations after an Israeli airstrike close to her house. Her mom, Eslam, additionally suffered extreme burns and blood an infection however was denied medical evacuation and died final month.
“We not too long ago evacuated Elia to Jordan however she now has sepsis and is mendacity in an ICU in Amman,” mentioned Nasser. “Docs warn she may not make it – all this might have been averted if she had simply been allowed to evacuate sooner.”
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