“A Death Sentence for My Son”: Israel Plans to Return Critically Ill Palestinian Patients from East Jerusalem to Gaza

“A Death Sentence for My Son”: Israel Plans to Return Critically Ill Palestinian Patients from East Jerusalem to Gaza

Sixteen-year-old Yamen Al‑Najjar remembers school, friends and laughter. Today he and his mother, Haifa, live in a cramped 6‑square‑metre room in East Jerusalem that barely fits a hospital bed. Yamen — who has a rare bleeding disorder — spends most of his time bedridden, in pain and dependent on medical care he and his doctors say cannot be replicated in Gaza.

Yamen was medically evacuated from Gaza City to a Palestinian hospital in occupied East Jerusalem two days before the October 7, 2023 attacks. His mother says specialists have struggled to manage his condition even in East Jerusalem, and for two years she has sought medical transfer to a third country. The World Health Organization approved the transfer, she says, but she has been unable to find a host country willing to accept him for 14 months.

Earlier this week clinicians at Makassed Hospital told Haifa that Israeli authorities plan to return Gazan patients and their companions to Gaza next week — including those currently undergoing treatment. "All my hard work will vanish before my eyes. I can't comprehend how a sick child is going to be sent back to a disaster‑stricken area… This is a death sentence for my son," she told reporters.

Medical teams at Makassed and Augusta Victoria hospitals say at least 89 Gazan patients and accompanying relatives are scheduled for deportation. While a small number of patients have accepted returning home, hospital staff say most are being asked to go against their will because adequate medical care is no longer available in Gaza. The WHO reported last month that an estimated 94% of Gaza’s hospitals have been damaged or destroyed.

The patients slated for return span a wide age range: newborns delivered here for treatment, long‑term patients and an 85‑year‑old among them. Many have been in East Jerusalem since before the war.

Humanitarian and legal concerns

Salwa Massad, a WHO research manager, said the Israeli military office known as the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) asked the WHO to assist with transfers early next week. CNN and other outlets sought comment from COGAT but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) called plans to return patients "unacceptable from moral, medical and legal standpoints," emphasizing that Gaza’s health system is effectively nonfunctional. "Israel is obligated under international humanitarian law to ensure that patients in need of medical care continue to receive it in the hospitals where they are currently admitted, or in any other hospital in Israel or abroad," Aseel Aburass, director of PHRI’s Occupied Territories Department, told reporters. She added that because Israel’s actions contributed to the destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure, it cannot disregard responsibility for these patients' lives.

Palestinian‑Israeli lawmaker Ahmad Tibi echoed that assessment, warning that returning critically ill patients under current conditions could be fatal: "Instead of dying from an airstrike, he will die from being deprived of medical treatment." Hospital clinicians and families warn some patients — including those needing dialysis, cancer care or neonatal support — would likely not survive the transfer or conditions in Gaza.

Patients’ accounts vary. Nafez Al Qahwaji, a dialysis patient from Khan Younis, said he needs treatment three times a week and was stunned by news of the planned deportations: "Why do they want to throw me to hell? I will die there in two days," he said. Conversely, others such as Nael Ezzeddine have expressed a desire to reunite with displaced family members in Gaza despite the risks.

This is not the first such episode. In March 2024 Israeli authorities prepared to return 22 Palestinian patients — including newborns and cancer patients — to Gaza; Israel’s Supreme Court temporarily halted that plan after petitions and media coverage.

"I miss my house, my siblings' voices, my school, colors and the sea," Yamen said. "I hope every child in Gaza lives like any child in the world. I don't want any child to get sick or be afraid like me."

The looming returns raise urgent questions about the practical and legal safeguards for vulnerable patients, the role of international organizations such as WHO, and the responsibilities of occupying and controlling authorities during conflict. Hospitals, families and rights groups are calling for immediate reviews and alternative arrangements that protect patients’ lives and access to lifesaving treatment.