Six-year-old Farouq Abul-Naja from the Gaza Strip was pronounced dead on Sunday after the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) shelved a request asking for permission for the child to travel urgently to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital for treatment.
Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights has held the IOA fully responsible for the death of the child as a result of its ongoing restrictions on freedom of movement especially on the travel of patients to receive medical treatment outside Gaza.
According to al-Mezan Center Farouq suffered from a type of brain atrophy and because there was no treatment for his condition in Gaza hospitals his family had managed to obtain a medical referral to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Occupied Jerusalem.
On January 12 2022 an appointment was set for the child to see doctors at this hospital but he was still not be able to travel because the request filed for his travel was retained by the IOA under consideration for months.
Later another appointment for him was set on August 10 by the hospital but the IOA was still dragging its feet on approving the request for his travel.
Al-Mezan Center pointed out that four Gazan patients including three children had died since the beginning of the current year because of Israel’s reluctance to grant them the necessary permits for access to medical treatment outside Gaza.
