Israeli court blocks life-saving cancer treatment to boy, 5, over Gaza address

An Israeli court has rejected a petition seeking life-saving medical treatment for a five-year-old Palestinian child with cancer, allowing authorities to continue blocking his access to care solely because his official address is registered in Gaza, despite him living in the occupied West Bank for years.

The Jerusalem District Court ruled on Sunday against a petition filed by the Gisha Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement, which sought permission for the child, identified as Mohammad Ahmad Abu Asad, to enter Israel to receive urgent treatment at Sheba Medical Centre.

According to Gisha, the child has been residing with his family in the West Bank since 2022, where he initially received medical care unavailable in Gaza.

After treatment options in the West Bank were exhausted, his doctors determined that he urgently requires antibody immunotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant, a treatment that is not available locally.

Despite medical assessments warning that transferring the child abroad could endanger his life, the court declined to intervene in the state's decision, effectively endorsing Israel’s sweeping policy barring Gaza-registered Palestinians from entering Israel since the outbreak of the war on the enclave in October 2023.

In its ruling, the court accepted the state's position that Gaza residents were barred from entering Israel "for any purpose whatsoever", a decision that Gisha said amounts to a death sentence for critically ill children.

"The significance of this ruling is that the court is providing backing for an unlawful policy that effectively condemns children to death, even when life-saving treatment is within reach," Gisha said in a statement on Monday.

The rights group said the case illustrates the devastating consequences of a policy that denies Palestinians access to medical care solely on the basis of their registered address, even when they do not reside in Gaza, and no security allegations have been raised against them.

Israeli Judge Ram Winograd ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove the child could not be transferred to Jordan for treatment, despite an expert opinion from an Israeli physician warning that such a journey could pose serious risks.

The court also criticised the family for not demonstrating sufficient efforts to secure treatment in a third country via the Allenby Crossing.

The ruling noted that a broader petition challenging Israel’s blanket ban on medical access for Gaza patients is currently pending before the High Court of Justice, and on that basis refrained from granting individual relief in the child's case.

According to media reports, the child is no longer able to walk, suffers from a severely weakened immune system, and requires medication to control seizures and blood pressure.

His mother has said his life is in immediate danger, noting that his father died of the same illness two years ago.

Gisha said the court's decision constitutes a blatant violation of Israel's obligations under international law as an occupying power, particularly its duty to protect the right to life and health of the civilian population under its control.

The ruling comes amid widespread criticism of Israel’s restrictions on medical evacuations for Palestinians, which rights groups say have intensified sharply since October 2023.

According to Gaza authorities, thousands of wounded and sick Palestinians have died due to the collapse of the healthcare system and Israel’s ban on medical exits.

Palestinian and international rights groups have repeatedly warned that Israel’s policies amount to collective punishment, with children among the most severely affected.