(12 Jun 2019) LEAD IN: When Palestinian preschooler Aisha a-Lulu came out of brain surgery in a strange Jerusalem hospital room, she called out for her mother and father.
But her family were barred from travelling from Gaza with her and the little girl died without seeing her parents again.
STORYLINE:
An empty swing stands still in the doorway of 5-year-old Aisha's room.
Her mother, Muna a-Lulu, brings out her small white dress embroidered with red flowers and some of her favourite toys.
When Aisha was diagnosed with brain cancer, she received immediate approval to leave Gaza for what was hoped to be life-saving surgery.
But instead of a family member, Israeli authorities approved a stranger to escort Aisha from the blockaded Gaza Strip to the east Jerusalem hospital.
As her condition deteriorated, the child was returned to Gaza unconscious.
One week later, she was dead.
Muna says leaving her daughter was the hardest thing she has done.
"My heart was being ripped out every day and every hour while I could not do anything for her or give her any help, such as psychological support to ease her illness. I never imagined I would not be close to my daughter in an ordinary situation, let alone while she has such a terrible illness."
She says Aisha's siblings still question why the little girl travelled alone.
In order to get a permit for travel, patients must first submit a diagnosis to the West Bank-based Palestinian Health Ministry, proving that their treatment isn't available in Gaza.
Then a Palestinian liaison requests exit permits from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which reviews the applications and passes them to Israel's Shin Bet security agency for background checks.
But when Aisha's parents approached the Palestinian Civil Affairs Commission for escort permits, their process ground to a halt.
To their bewilderment, Palestinian officials told them not to apply, saying it was too risky.
But going by herself was difficult for such a young child to bear.
"When her mother was dressing her, she asked her why are you letting me go alone?" recalls her father Waseem a-Lulu recalls.
"She was emotionally hurt and we were felt as though we were giving our daughter to the unknown. It's one hour from here to Jerusalem, but it felt like another planet. This was very difficult for us and we felt we lost her from the day she travelled alone," he explains.
At 37, Waseem is below the age that Israel deems acceptable for swift entry on security grounds.
Today, all men under 55 require extra screening, which means waiting, usually for months, according to Mor Efrat, the Gaza and West Bank director for Physicians for Human Rights Israel.
As for Aisha's mother, Muna, a quirk of her upbringing in Egypt left her without an official Israeli-issued ID card required to receive a permit.
Waseem says, "doctors say someone from her family must come. The girl needed psychological support because she had no one from her family accompanying her."
So far this year, roughly half of applications for patient companion permits have been rejected or left unanswered by Israel, according to the World Health Organization.
That has forced over 600 patients, including around a dozen children under 18, to make the trek out of the territory alone or without close family by their side.
The system stems from the Hamas militant group's takeover of Gaza in 2007 when it violently ousted the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
Find out more about AP Archive:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Google+:
Tumblr:
Instagram:
You can license this story through AP Archive:
0 Comments