Al-Azhar’s Observatory for Combating Extremism launched a blistering critique of Israel’s blockade on Wednesday, warning that thousands of children in Gaza are now a mere “one hour away from death.”
The statement sheds light on a deepening humanitarian catastrophe, specifically highlighting the tragic fate of pediatric cancer patients.
These children are reportedly facing an avoidable “death sentence” due to the Israel’s persistent refusal to allow them access to life-saving medical care.
A cruel proximity to life-saving care
The Observatory noted that since the onset of the conflict, patients in critical condition have been systematically barred from leaving Gaza.
Many require specialized treatment at Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank and Jerusalem—facilities that are physically located just one hour away.
The report emphasizes that this “calculated intransigence” has crippled the ability of oncologists to provide care, particularly following the destruction and forced closure of the European and Turkish Friendship hospitals, Gaza’s primary cancer facilities.
This has left thousands of oncology patients without any meaningful treatment.
Faces of the tragedy
The statement documented several heartbreaking cases of children who succumbed to their illnesses while waiting for permission to travel.
Among these were young Ghazal and Youssef—aged six and twelve respectively—alongside Haya, all of whom succumbed to curable forms of cancer such as acute leukemia, chest lymphoma, and kidney malignancies.
“All of them perished after immense suffering,” the Observatory stated, “despite having conditions that were entirely treatable and curable. Had they been permitted to reach Palestinian hospitals just dozens of kilometers away, they would likely be alive today. This makes the occupation’s refusal a deliberate execution of these children.”
A crisis of scale
The Observatory concluded with a stark warning: over 16,000 individuals—including cancer patients, the critically wounded, and those with chronic illnesses—are currently in desperate need of urgent medical evacuation.
While the fastest route to safety lies in allowing them passage to the West Bank and Jerusalem, Al-Azhar asserts that Israel continues to “categorically reject” these life-saving transfers, effectively sealing the fate of Gaza’s most vulnerable.
