Yacoubhis little brother Marud and others 3 children they might see a light of hope after living the nightmare of the Gaza Strip for years. But we must take action to allow it to survive. Added to the suffering caused by geopolitical events is that of being sick and in urgent need of treatment. The two brothers have their legs massacred; pierced by the nails with which the surgeon tried to fix his fractures, because it was impossible to operate to heal the bones. The other three children are suffering from neuroblastoma; an aggressive childhood tumor. Now they have hope: their names are on the lists to come for treatment in Italy between 18 and 22 October.
It is a first, vital step, made possible byLa Fenice associationby the doctors of Umberto I Polyclinic of Rome and by the pressure of all those who raised their voices. Their illness could be cured in Italy, but not in a tent among the rubble of what remains of Palestine. Through bureaucratic madness, they have been stuck there for forty days. Forty days of pain and growing risk, while the Israeli authority – through the Cogat – examines the entire life of their families, in a sadistic procedure that seeks to punish the children for the alleged sins of their fathers (often, as in their case, already dead). Yacoub hasn’t gotten out of bed for a month, the infection has spread throughout his body and he seriously risks losing his life. While the world discusses truces and corridors, these children are in dire need of help.
The remaining relatives try in every way to try to support him, especially by exchanging messages on Whatsapp with the doctors of the Policlinico Salvatore Oliva and Alberto Spalice, who try to give advice on how to treat the children, or at least try to stop them from feeling pain for at least a few moments. A big problem emerges when translating the doctors’ instructions, which must be translated from Italian into Arabic. It takes a lot of time. Too much, because when you urgently need to save lives, time is the last thing you have available.
How can we concretely help them? Demanding that the lists be expedited immediately. Italy has taken a step, now it must guarantee its arrival. By putting pressure on the Israeli authorities. Cogat and the Tel Aviv authorities (segreteria.gerusalemme@esteri.it) must be inundated with requests: the lives of these children cannot be used as a weapon. Supporting La Fenice and the doctors of the Policlinico Umberto I, the last hope of these little ones.
