Overview

• Three critically injured Gaza children—Anas, 8; Ghazal, 6; and Leyan, 14—landed at San Francisco International Airport on August 6 as part of HEAL Palestine’s largest single evacuation of 11 Gaza patients to US hospitals.
• Oakland, South Bay and Santa Clara Valley medical teams have launched complex operations to repair Anas’s shattered tibia, treat Ghazal’s traumatic leg wounds and manage Leyan’s second- and third-degree burns with shrapnel removal.
• Specialized nutrition rehabilitation and mental-health support programs are under way to address prolonged malnutrition and trauma stemming from Gaza’s collapsed healthcare system.
• Since January 2024 HEAL Palestine has evacuated 37 Gaza children for treatment in the US and UK and is coordinating follow-on care in Egypt before eventual return to Gaza.
• Volunteer doctors and advocates warn that Israeli permit approvals and lengthy medical visa waits continue to pose major logistical hurdles for urgent pediatric evacuations.