Fatma was a 19-month-old girl from Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. She died on 25 March 2022 after she was delayed access to
lifesaving cardiac surgery for nearly three months. Fatma was born with a congenital heart condition known as an atrial septal defect. She needed curative surgery at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem and was required by Israel to obtain a permit to reach her hospital appointment. Her family applied three times for permits to reach hospital appointments on 28 December 2021, 13 February 2022, and 5 April 2022. She also received hospital appointments for 6 and 27 March, though at this stage no permit application was submitted by the Palestinian Health Liaison Office. Fatma’s father was told this was because there would not enough time for processing of the permit application.
Since December 2021 and her first hospital appointment for heart surgery, Fatma’s health had been gradually deteriorating as her heart began to fail despite medical treatment and follow up by doctors in the Gaza Strip. “I was out the day Fatma died. My brother called and asked me to come home because Fatma was tired. They called an ambulance, which arrived before I got home. She died before she reached the hospital. We were in shock. I felt like I had died,” Fatma’s father said. “Everyone in the family loved Fatma dearly, she was so precious to all of us. Especially to my wife and me. She came to us after five years of fertility treatment. Our hearts are broken.” On 4 April, ten days after Fatma’s death, her family received a text message telling them that Fatma’s application for a patient permit remained under study.
Jalal, the father of Fatima added, “When I lost my daughter, I felt that there is no life anymore. I am sure my daughter is not the only one killed by this blockade. Of course, there are so many patients who have died. But why should my little girl have been denied medical treatment? Can anyone tell me why she deserved this? This killing must be stopped. This could happen to anyone who needs medical care.”
