For Mohammed Rajab Mqat, the simple act of being offered a whole roast beef sandwich on an evacuation flight from Gaza felt utterly surreal. After sharing every meager meal with his four children for so long, the idea of a meal just for him was almost unbelievable.
“Is this truly for *each* of us?” the 37-year-old father, whose weight had plummeted from over 240 pounds to a mere 165 during Gaza’s two-year war, asked in disbelief as each of his family members received a full tray of food. It was a stark contrast to the severe scarcity they had known.
“Famine has ravaged us,” he recounted, traveling to the United Arab Emirates for his 10-year-old son’s medical treatment after an airstrike in March. This journey represented a desperate bid for survival and healing.
This particular medical evacuation flight, facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, offered a lifeline to 155 Gazans. Their emaciated bodies and grievous injuries served as a powerful testament to the ongoing devastation and humanitarian catastrophe gripping the region. The situation has only worsened with the Israeli military’s continued operations in Gaza City, which has claimed countless lives.
Since the conflict erupted in November 2023, the UAE has tirelessly organized 27 medical flights, transporting 2,904 patients and their relatives from Gaza to a specialized government facility in Abu Dhabi. These life-saving operations are conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization.
The Emirati government has stated that evacuees are expected to return home once their treatment concludes and ‘when conditions permit them to do so in safety and dignity,’ highlighting the temporary nature of their refuge.
An estimated 16,000 individuals in Gaza are in urgent need of medical evacuation, a staggering figure according to the World Health Organization.
As the conflict persists, the need for such evacuations continues to escalate, posing immense challenges for aid organizations and medical professionals striving to treat the sick and injured.
“From the very first flight, we observed clear signs of malnutrition, including iron deficiency in blood tests and children who devoured food as if they had never seen it. Starvation, a medical condition we believed had been eradicated globally, is now a reality we are forced to confront,” Dr. Maha Barakat, Assistant Health Minister at the Emirati Foreign Ministry, expressed profound concern.
An international panel of experts confirmed in August that parts of Gaza were suffering from an ‘entirely man-made’ famine, with a senior UN humanitarian official attributing this to Israel’s ‘systematic obstruction’ of aid. A previous blockade from March to May saw limited aid distribution through a controversial Israeli-backed system that bypassed UN channels entirely.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office vehemently refuted the report, labeling it ‘an outright lie.’
Israeli authorities maintain that sufficient food enters Gaza, suggesting that distribution issues or theft by aid agencies are the root cause. Conversely, the UN and other humanitarian organizations accuse Israel of consistently denying or delaying requests to transport essential supplies from border crossings into Gaza, citing numerous logistical and security obstacles.
The selection process for evacuation is stringent: a patient must be referred by a Gaza-based doctor for specialized treatment not available in the territory. Gaza’s health ministry reviews these cases, and if approved, forwards them to the World Health Organization, which then identifies a host country and obtains necessary clearances from Israeli authorities for their departure.
The journey in August to Abu Dhabi was fraught with difficulty for the evacuees. It began at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Gaza, followed by a drive to Eilat in southern Israel, and culminated in a three-hour flight.
The grueling trip had clearly taken its toll on Asma al-Ladawi, who, though eight months pregnant, barely showed it as she sat on the plane, her daughter and son huddled beside her.
Ms. al-Ladawi recounted how a December 2023 explosion near their tent in a northern Gaza school had violently thrown her 12-year-old son, Ahmad, breaking both his legs. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the details of this specific incident.
Following Ahmad’s initial care, his mother desperately sought more advanced treatment across various hospitals. However, Gaza’s medical infrastructure has been severely crippled by the ongoing military campaign, leaving Ahmad unable to walk without assistance by the time of his evacuation.
Humanitarian organizations consistently report the devastating impact of the war on Gaza’s children, emphasizing the immense toll on their lives and well-being.
Six-year-old Iyad al-Masri’s traumatic experience started in April when he innocently picked up unexploded ordnance. The subsequent explosion left him with shrapnel in his abdomen, two severed toes, and severe leg injuries, according to his mother, Shireen al-Masri.
Iyad’s legs are now held together with bolts, and he depends on a wheeled aid for mobility. His mother noted that the once lively and outgoing boy has become noticeably withdrawn since the incident.
Ms. al-Masri recalled Iyad’s injury occurring amidst severe food scarcity, making the promise of a stable life and abundant food in the Emirates feel like an answered prayer.
Despite finding safety, many parents like Mr. Mqat on the flight expressed a deep sense of gratitude mingled with gnawing guilt and anxiety for the family members they were forced to leave behind.
Mr. Mqat’s voice cracked as he revealed that his wife, mother, and three eldest daughters remained trapped in the ravaged northern Gaza Strip.
“Half of me is here, and half of me remains there,” Mr. Mqat confessed, his voice heavy with emotion, barely suppressing a sob. “Try to imagine the weight of that.”