Anwar is one of nearly a dozen Gaza children who, along with their families, are arriving in the U.S. for medical care and long-term help this week.
SAN ANTONIO — A 14-year-old Gaza boy who lost part of his leg in his country’s ongoing conflict with Israel arrived in San Antonio as part of what a nonprofit is calling “the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the U.S.”
HEAL Palestine, which works to deliver relief and long-term help to those in the Middle Eastern nation impacted by the war, said Anwar was placed on a waitlist for evacuation when the organization met him and his family in Gaza. After “months of negotiations,” the organization said, he, his 6-year-old sister and their mother were allowed to leave.
Anwar arrived in San Antonio on Monday morning, joining 10 other children wounded in Gaza who came stateside – to Dallas, Galveston, Boston and other cities – “to begin long-term treatment, rehabilitation and recovery.” A representative with HEAL Palestine told KENS 5 the nonprofit, working with the World Health Organization, has made arrangements for for host families and free care.
Two other young Gaza children, aged 7 and 10, arrived in Houston on Sunday afternoon to get help of their own.
“These children could not wait,” Zeena Salman, a cofounder of the nonprofit, is quoted as saying in a news release. “Their lives are at stake, and this mission is about giving them a future.”
The children’s journey began July 30 when they and their families crossed from Gaza into Jordan, HEAL Palestine said. From there, they went through the steps to receive U.S. visas, underwent health screenings and even celebrated one child’s 12th birthday.
Anwar and his family arrived at San Antonio International Airport to cheers from supporters chanting his name. HEAL Palestine says the Alamo City “has a working team of volunteers to address all his needs, both for medical care, education, mental health and fun.”
At the end of July, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that more than 60,000 Palestinians have killed since the Israel-Hamas war that began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The ministry did not say how many were civilians or militants, but has said woman and children make up around half the dead. And Israel’s offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displacing around 90% of the population and causing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the process.
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