Israel allows Gaza mother to join son for cancer treatments after months’ delay

Israel has allowed the mother of a young child from the Gaza Strip to join him for cancer treatments at a Nablus hospital, after long months of stalling.

Three-year-old Louay al-Khoudari was diagnosed with an aggressive sarcoma at two-and-a-half. Since May he has been receiving treatment at An-Najah Hospital in Nablus. However, his mother’s request to exit Gaza in order to join him had not been approved and was long said to be under review.

Israeli officials told the Haaretz daily on Friday that Hanan al-Khoudari’s first-degree family ties to a Hamas man had caused the delay.

The mother eventually found a woman who volunteered to chaperone her son to the treatments and the woman has done so for the past few visits. However, doctors had stressed al-Khoudari’s presence during the treatments was important to improve her son’s chances.

A day after Haaretz published its initial story on the matter, al-Khoudari’s request was finally approved by Israeli officials.

The newspaper noted that the past year has seen a sharp rise in the number of requests for entry into Israel from Gaza rejected on the grounds of family ties to Hamas members. This is apparently due to government policy to pressure Hamas, as Israel seeks to secure the return of Israeli captives and the bodies of Israeli soldiers held in the Strip.