Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 13 June 2019

Sick Gaza child caught in Israeli permit system dies alone

By ISABEL DEBRE hope, the Palestinian office
FARES AKRAM told them, was to apply for
Associated Press as many older women as
JERUSALEM (AP) — When possible from their extend-
Palestinian preschooler ed social network. A permit
Aisha a-Lulu came out of for Halima al-Ades, a re-
brain surgery in a strange mote family acquaintance
Jerusalem hospital room, whom Aisha had never
she called out for her met, was approved.
mother and father. She re- Muna said she had no
peated the cry over and choice but to sign COGAT’s
over, but her parents never consent form and whisk her
came. daughter out of Gaza for
Instead of a family mem- immediate treatment. She
ber, Israeli authorities had said the frustration of the
approved a stranger to es- sprawling bureaucracy,
cort Aisha from the block- and the painful memory
aded Gaza Strip to the east of her 5-year-old daughter
Jerusalem hospital. As her crying for her on the phone
condition deteriorated, the during her last days, haunts
child was returned to Gaza her.
unconscious. One week The Shin Bet declined to
later, she was dead. comment on the case. But
A photo of Aisha smiling In this Monday, May 27, 2019 photo, Muna Awad, mother of 5-year-old Aisha al-Loulu, shows a in a statement, it empha-
softly in her hospital bed, photo of her daughter while in a Jerusalem hospital, at the family home in Bureij refugee camp in sized Israel’s security con-
brown curls swaddled in central Gaza Strip. cerns about Gaza patients
bandages, drew an out- Associated Press and their companions.
pouring on social media. Hamas from arming, has background checks. To their bewilderment, Pal- “The terrorist organizations
The wrenching details of precipitated a financial According to WHO, the ap- estinian officials told them in the Gaza Strip, headed
her last days have shined a and humanitarian crisis in proval rate has plummeted not to apply, saying it was by Hamas, are working tire-
light on Israel’s vastly com- the enclave. For years, Ga- in recent years. too risky. lessly to cynically exploit the
plex and stringent system za’s 2 million residents have It said that in 2012, Israel At 37, Waseem is below the humanitarian and medical
for issuing Gaza exit per- endured rising poverty and allowed in 93% of patients age that Israel deems ac- assistance provided by Is-
mits. unemployment, undrink- and 83% of their compan- ceptable for swift entry on rael,” it said.
It is a bureaucracy that able groundwater and fre- ions for treatment. For the security grounds. Today, all This means that Palestin-
has Israeli and Palestinian quent electricity outages. month of April 2019, the men under 55 require extra ians are often turned down
authorities blaming each Public hospitals wrestle with figure stands at just 65% of screening, which means without explanation or for
other for its shortfalls, while chronic shortages of drugs patients and 52% of their waiting, usually for months, reasons out of their control.
inflicting a heavy toll on and basic medical equip- companions. according to Mor Efrat, the “I feel confident telling you
Gaza’s sick children and ment. Israel blames Hamas, A COGAT official disputed Gaza and West Bank direc- that most of these rejec-
their parents. which it considers a terrorist the figures, saying they tor for Physicians for Human tions are arbitrary,” said
“The most difficult thing is group, for the crisis. don’t take into account Rights Israel. As for Aisha’s Efrat, of Physicians for Hu-
to leave your child in the In what it portrays as a hu- that the number of permit mother, Muna, a quirk of man Rights Israel.
unknown,” said Waseem a- manitarian gesture to help applications has grown as her upbringing in Egypt left Israel denies any official
Lulu, Aisha’s father. “Jeru- Gaza’s civilians, Israel per- Gaza’s health care system her without an official Israe- change in policy.
salem is just an hour away, mits Palestinian patients to deteriorates, and that Israel li-issued ID card required to Alon Eviatar, a former high-
but it feels as though it is seek medical treatment at has started issuing permits receive a permit. ranking official with CO-
another planet.” hospitals in Israel and the less regularly but for pro- “We tell families to find a GAT, said the goal remains
So far this year, roughly half West Bank once they pass longed stays. The official, companion that won’t give the same. “On the ground,
of applications for patient a series of bureaucratic speaking on condition of Israel any reason to refuse,” this means to make daily
companion permits were hurdles. COGAT, the Israeli anonymity under agency said Osama Najar, spokes- life as difficult as possible
rejected or left unanswered defense body that issues rules, said COGAT has tried man for the Palestinian for Hamas, without crossing
by Israel, according to the the permits, says it insists to ease restrictions by des- Health Ministry. “We want the red line to humanitar-
World Health Organization. that all patients cross with ignating a permit specifi- to save the child and, yes, ian disaster,” he said.
That has forced over 600 an escort, usually a close cally for parents of child that can mean sending Eviatar acknowledged that
patients, including some relative, unless they wish patients. them alone.” the Israeli permit system
dozen children under 18, to go alone or require im- The agency said it issued In this sense, the Palestinian was ineffective, inefficient
to make the trek out of the mediate treatment that 4,000 permits for patient Authority “acts as a sub- and overburdened. “We
territory alone or without doesn’t allow time for secu- escorts in the first quarter contractor for Israel,” said are desperate for an alter-
close family by their side. rity screening. of 2019, including 1,398 for Efrat, forcing parents to native, to get Gaza to take
The system stems from the In order to get a permit, parents of sick children. make a difficult choice: de- care of itself and stop rely-
Hamas militant group’s patients must first submit a After being diagnosed with lay their child’s urgent care, ing on Israel,” he said.
takeover of Gaza in 2007, diagnosis to the West Bank- brain cancer, Aisha re- or search for someone else Aisha’s doctor in Jerusalem,
when it violently ousted the based Palestinian Health ceived immediate approv- that Israel would be more Ahmad Khandaqji, said he
Western-backed Palestin- Ministry, proving that their al to get out of Gaza for likely to let cross. has treated countless lone
ian Authority. Israel and treatment isn’t available in what was hoped to be life- Aisha’s parents said they patients from Gaza over
Egypt responded by impos- Gaza. Then a Palestinian saving surgery. But when scoured for alternatives, the past year, but that Ai-
ing a blockade that tightly liaison requests exit per- her parents approached applying for an aunt and sha’s story stuck with him.
restricted movement in mits from COGAT, which the Palestinian Civil Affairs her 75-year-old grand- “She felt abandoned and
and out of Gaza. reviews the applications Commission for escort per- mother, but Israel rejected betrayed,” he said. “We
The blockade, which Israel and passes them to Israel’s mits, their process ground both. saw how that directly im-
says is necessary to prevent Shin Bet security agency for to a halt. The girl’s only remaining pacted her recovery.”q