Amman, Jordan
Doctors say 2-year-old Habiba al-Askari has days to live as gangrene creeps up her arms and legs, and only an urgent medical evacuation out of Gaza may save her life. She has a rare genetic condition, protein C deficiency, which is highly treatable, but not in Gaza, where healthcare institutions and supplies have been decimated by Israel’s yearslong war.
Earlier this month, international aid groups worked to obtain permission from Israeli authorities to allow Habiba to leave Gaza for treatment. She received formal permission, and authorities in Jordan were set to bring her to Amman for treatment. However, at the last minute, Israeli authorities delayed the mission, leaving her in Gaza, where she remains, with her condition worsening by the hour.
Habiba is one of at least 2,500 children in Gaza in urgent need of medical evacuation, according to the UN. No medical evacuations have taken place for two weeks, despite a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, and a promise to increase the number of Gaza residents allowed out for treatment.
The toddler’s arms and right leg have turned black with gangrene, and doctors say her right leg will have to be amputated, and it may be too late to save her arms. Sepsis, an infection spreading to the bloodstream, raises the risk of organ failure and death. A senior Jordanian official is continuing to push for her evacuation, but the situation remains uncertain. If she doesn’t receive treatment, she will likely die, according to doctors.