Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
After four months in a hospital in Gaza, four-year-old Qusai Al Askari was once so critically ill that doctors warned his mother he might not survive or could lose the ability to walk.
Today, his mother Nemah Al Askari is preparing to take him home after receiving treatment in the UAE, where she said his condition improved beyond what she had expected.
“As soon as we arrived in the UAE, they took him to a hospital, treated him and assessed his condition. Thank God, none of what they had warned us about in Gaza [happened],” she told Aletihad.
Qusai is among patients from the Gaza Strip who have spent months or years in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Humanitarian City receiving treatment for serious and complex medical conditions.
With some now ready to return home, their stories reflect both the challenges they faced before arriving in the country and the significance of completing a long course of treatment.
For Nemah, the experience was particularly frightening because Qusai is her only son.
“[They] pulled him back from the brink of death, and I will never forget what they did for him,” she said, thanking the UAE and President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for supporting patients from Gaza.
Qusai was initially brought to the country for his heart condition, but his mother said doctors also examined him for other health problems, including issues affecting his kidneys, nervous system and digestive system, and conducted genetic testing.
Nemah said the care and kindness her family received would stay with them forever.
“They never made us feel like we were living in a foreign country or somewhere we did not belong. They made us feel as though we were in our own home, our first and second home,” she said.
Recovering from Cancer
For Dalal Dhair, 37, returning to Gaza marked the end of a cancer treatment journey that began long before she arrived in the UAE about two years ago. She is now looking forward to seeing her husband and five children again.
“Thank God, I have fully recovered. I am doing well, my health is good, and I have completed my treatment,” she told Aletihad.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, Dhair said access to treatment in Gaza had been limited even before the war, with only diagnostic services available.
Throughout her stay in the UAE, the mother of five said she felt cared for in every way.
“To be honest, they never fell short in anything. Everything was provided for us, especially the feeling of safety and security. We owe them so much,” she said. “Even when we return to our country, their kindness will remain in our hearts until the end of our lives.”
Her departure, however, brought mixed emotions. “I am happy and sad as this treatment journey comes to an end. I am happy that I have recovered and now returning to my country, but sad that I will be leaving the UAE, which I came to feel was my home and more, because of the way its people treated us and their hospitality,” she said.
Finding Safety and Care
For Sara Jaser, the UAE has also been the place where her son Adam experienced some of the earliest milestones of childhood.
Adam, now four years old, was just 10 months old when he arrived in the UAE.
“This is such an important stage in any child's life. He is my first child, and this is where he grew up, learned to walk and talk,” Sara told Aletihad.
She said Adam began experiencing severe seizures after inhaling phosphorus from munitions used during shelling in Gaza.
The infant struggled to sleep at night, leaving her frightened as a first-time mother.
“Thank God, within just a year in the UAE, he improved and became well,” she said.
Sara commended the medical personnel at Emirates Humanitarian City, saying they were trustworthy and competent. She felt her son was in good hands as she saw how the staff cared for and handled children and patients with different needs.
She thanked UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for standing by her family during such a tough time.
“This place has left a mark on our hearts that we will never forget for the rest of our lives,” she said.
Care Beyond the Hospital
The patients were among those brought to the UAE from Gaza for treatment during the war.
Under the directives of the His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the country hosted 1,000 injured children and 1,000 cancer patients of different ages, according to Emirates Humanitarian City’s Mubarak Falah Alqahtani.
The city provides accommodation, education and other essential services alongside support for residents' daily needs, Alqahtani told Aletihad.
Among those preparing to leave are patients who have completed cancer treatment, including chemotherapy and biological therapy.
Others have received treatment for burns and other injuries, while some have been fitted with prosthetic limbs after losing limbs.
Waked Abu Aqlain, another Palestinian patient from Gaza, came to the UAE with heart problems, a brain tumour, and prostate cancer.
He said his condition had stabilised and he was in far better health than before. He expressed gratitude to everyone — from His Highness the UAE President to the staff at Emirates Humanitarian City and the team at NMC Hospital.
“I received a level of care that exceeded my expectations,” he said.
