A Qatari initiative aims to sponsor 3,000 orphans and to provide medical care for 1,500 injured Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has visited Palestinian patients evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Doha.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Sheikh Mohammed shared a heartfelt message after meeting the Palestinian child, Bahaa Abu Qadif, whose leg was amputated. His mother was also killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.
The Qatari prime minister’s visit took place as he inaugurated the Medical Care and Research Center of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) on Monday.
“I met the heroic [boy] Bahaa Abu Qadif, who lost one of his legs and his mother as a result of the Israeli aggression, but he did not lose hope. We cherish them [Palestinian evacuees] and provide them with care and treatment, and we wish them recovery,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
The Palestinian child is among those evacuated by Qatar from the Gaza Strip under an initiative by Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The initiative aims to sponsor 3,000 orphans and provide medical care for 1,500 injured Palestinians from the coastal enclave.
Since its launch on December 3, Qatar has evacuated more than 500 wounded people, along with over 800 of their companions and 700 others with special cases. The evacuations took place before Israel invaded and destroyed the Gaza-Egypt Rafah Crossing on May 6.
The patients have been receiving medical treatment at several hospitals in Qatar including Hamad General Hospital, The View Hospital and Sidra Medicine.
The Palestinian evacuees have also been residing at the Al Thumama Complex, a residential compound initially built for 2022 FIFA World Cup fans.
The life-saving evacuations came as the Gaza Strip’s collapsed medical sector struggles to treat tens of thousands of wounded Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, widely referred to as a genocide.
Since October 7, Israel has killed almost 38,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, while wounding at least 87,141 others.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 17 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional due to the Israeli war and complete blockade on the besieged enclave.
The hospitals that have been destroyed include the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the biggest health facility in the Gaza Strip.
The hospital was gutted by Israeli occupation forces following a brutal two-week raid between late March and April. During the raid, Israeli occupation forces tortured and murdered hospital patients.
Under Israel’s efforts to deprive Palestinians of life-saving medical and humanitarian assistance, aid workers and medics have been among Israel’s primary targets. Israeli occupation forces have also been detaining Palestinian medics throughout the war.
According to the United Nations, Israel killed at least 500 health workers in addition to at least 274 aid workers, including 197 UN staff and 33 from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
