Gaza Residents Bid Farewell to Wounded Children Travelling to Egypt For Treatment
(AWP) - With mixed emotions of the pain of missing and the hope of recovery, families of the wounded Palestinians in Gaza gathered around ambulances to bid farewell to their sons, who are travelling for treatment in Egypt after four weeks of war in the Strip.
Dozens of wounded and dual national Palestinians were transferred from Gaza Strip to Egyptian territories yesterday via the Rafah crossing, which was opened for the first time since the beginning of the ongoing war.
Head of the Information at the Rafah crossing, Wael Abu Mohsen, told AWP that 76 wounded Palestinians and their companions left the Gaza Strip for Egypt in ambulances, alongside six buses carrying 335 foreign travellers.
"Our residential area at Bab al-Burj was bombed, and I was seriously injured. We are now heading to Egypt to complete treatment. We wish safety for the wounded and mercy for all the martyrs," Mohammed Saqr, a wounded Palestinian, said inside an ambulance prior to travelling to Egypt for treatment.
"The area where we live was bombed, and my son was on his way to the supermarket to buy things for the house that we desperately needed. They bombed the street where we live, and my son was among the injured," Mohammed’s mother, who accompanied him inside the ambulance, said.
"His injury was very critical, with a fracture in his back, shoulder, and chest. He didn’t move from bed for 21 days. We appeal to the Arab, Islamic and foreign world to look at these wounded people who were targeted while they were in their homes," she added.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that preparations are underway to facilitate the reception and evacuation of foreigners from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing.
The ministry added in a statement that 7000 foreigners from more than 60 countries will be travelling to Egypt from Gaza via the Rafah crossing.