Two years ago, Hanin Muhammad, a resident of Gaza, was transported alongside her sister Sabreen, who had undergone a kidney transplant, to Baghdad for medical care. Unfortunately, Hanin has since been confined to a hospital in Baghdad, separated from her six children back home, due to Iraqi authorities confiscating her travel documents. This situation is not just a personal tragedy; it encapsulates a grim reality faced by many Palestinians stranded in foreign lands, cut off from their families and homes.
Life in Limbo for Evacuees
Hanin’s home in Rafah was obliterated by Israeli forces, forcing her children into makeshift shelters between Rafah and Khan Younis. “I depend on others to update me about my children since they lack internet access. My plea is for intervention so we can return to Egypt and reunite with them,” she expressed in an interview with Al Jazeera. Presently, the sole exit from Gaza is the Rafah crossing into Egypt, severely limiting mobility for the residents seeking vital medical treatment and a chance to reconnect with fragmented families.
The predicament faced by Hanin and the 46 other Palestinians evacuated to Iraq—comprising 21 patients and their 25 family escorts—is a reflection of the medical crisis back in Gaza. Many suffer from life-threatening conditions, with a significant number waiting for treatment. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 20,000 patients require urgent medical assistance, with thousands of children suffering severe injuries resulting from the ongoing conflict.
Unresolved Bureaucratic Challenges
Upon arriving in Baghdad, evacuees were met with the unfortunate reality of having their identification documents confiscated. Hanin reported, “We were told our papers were held by Iraqi Intelligence. Our requests for their return have gone unanswered.” While the Palestinian Embassy in Baghdad attempted to issue new identification documents, they lack the necessary stamps from Iraqi officials, rendering them ineffective for travel. This bureaucratic quagmire has trapped families in a precarious state of limbo, far removed from their lives back in Gaza.
Medical companions face compounding stress as they remain confined. Noor Ibrahim, another companion who traveled to Iraq for her cancer-stricken aunt, feels this weight acutely: “I left Gaza on the understanding it was a temporary trip, but now two years have passed, and I find myself cut off from my fiancé and family.” The psychological toll of this confinement has exacerbated existing health issues, reflecting a broader trend among those who find themselves entangled in this intricate web of bureaucracy and emotional turmoil.
Desperate Conditions and Call for Action
Living conditions inside Baghdad’s Medical City complex are fraught with both physical and emotional deprivation. Evacuees are heavily reliant on local charitable acts, as they receive no financial support from the hospital or any governing authority. Samah Abdul Moati, a 65-year-old battling cancer, described their plight this way: “The hospital provides food, but it’s often inedible. We survive because of the kindness of local citizens.” With her family divided and suffering back in Gaza, her heart aches for reunification.
Due to their distressing situation, many evacuees have attempted to voice their needs publicly, calling for intervention. However, the response has often been administrative retaliation, such as restrictions placed on their movements within the hospital. Muhammad noted, “Visibility helped us gain access to the outside, but the overarching bureaucratic inertia remains unbroken.”
In speaking to the Iraqi Ministry of Health, they emphasize the complexities of the case, labeling it a political issue rather than a purely medical one. For the stranded Palestinians, the path back home is fraught with uncertainty and despair. As Abdul Moati reiterated, “We aren’t asking for luxury—our request is simple: a humane opportunity for our families to reunite and for us to return home.”