A young Palestinian girl who was injured in an Israeli airstrike that killed her mother and brother will arrive in Malta on Tuesday to receive treatment.
Three-year-old Selah Hajras suffered severe leg injuries when her house in Khan Younis, a city in Southern Gaza, was hit by an Israeli airstrike in mid-November.
The strike left her mother and brother dead with Selah being taken to hospital for urgent treatment. While her father Ashraf was uninjured, he was unable to locate her in the ensuing chaos and believed she had also been killed.
It was only when doctors posted a video to YouTube showing Selah at Nasser hospital that her father realised she was alive and went to meet her.
The video shows a smiling Selah talking with doctors and walking around the hospital with her left leg in a cast, juxtaposed with footage of explosions and devastated buildings.
According to the accompanying text on screen, the three-year-old gave hospital staff “strength and optimism,” and was described as “one of the most important personalities to spread joy in the hospital during the constant Israeli bombardment.”
With his wife and son already killed and Israeli forces stepping up their attacks in Southern Gaza, Ashraf knew he had to get his daughter out of Gaza as soon as possible.
While Selah was allowed to leave Gaza because she was on a medical list, her father was refused permission due to rules barring men under the age of 60 from leaving the country.
But through the help of a family friend, who started an online funding campaign to raise money for them, Ashraf and Saleh were eventually able to escape Gaza by paying smugglers to take them out of the country via the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.
After waiting in Egypt for 10 days for their passports to be issued by Palestinian authorities, the pair are due to leave the region on Monday night, flying first to Dubai and then on to Malta.
They are expected to arrive at Malta International Airport on Tuesday afternoon.
Their flight out of Egypt was funded by public donations and the Palestinian Embassy in Malta, with support from the Maltese government which has also offered her free medical care at Mater Dei hospital. Saint James hospital also offered to sponsor her medical treatment, according to the Palestinian envoy.
Speaking to Times of Malta, Palestinian ambassador Fadi Hanania expressed his “sincere appreciation for all those who donated to help Selah get the proper medical care, and to the Maltese government for their immediate response and assistance."
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Gaza health officials and the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that Nasser Hospital – the second-largest in the Gaza Strip – was “completely out of service” following a week-long siege and a subsequent raid by Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
According to the WHO, a team from the organisation was repeatedly refused entry to the hospital over the weekend by the IDF.
On Sunday, Reuters reported there were only 25 medical staff left to care for the around 200 patients believed to be still inside the hospital.
According to Gaza health officials on Monday, more than 29,000 people in Gaza have now been killed since the start of Israel’s offensive.
Those wishing to assist in bringing more injured Gazan children to Malta for medical treatment or to donate essential aid to Gaza are encouraged to contact the Palestinian embassy on +356 2780 1200.
Donations can be sent via Revolut on +356 9961 9998 or by BOV [Bank of Valletta] Mobile pay to the number +356 9992 2000.