A Jerusalem District Court has rejected an emergency petition to grant a critically ill five-year-old Palestinian boy access to specialized medical care in Israel, citing his official registration in Gaza despite his family’s long-term residence in Ramallah, West Bank.
Judge Ram Winograd dismissed the petition filed by Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement on Sunday, arguing that allowing Mohammad Ahmad Abu Asad treatment at Tel Hashomer Hospital near Tel Aviv would constitute “an attack on the state.” The ruling maintains Israel’s policy of denying medical transfers to Palestinians from Gaza and occupied territories, despite the child’s deteriorating condition.
The young patient suffers from advanced cancer that has left him unable to walk, with a severely compromised immune system requiring medication for seizures and blood pressure control. Medical professionals have described his condition as “constantly deteriorating” and requiring urgent bone marrow transplantation.
Despite the family’s documented residence in Ramallah for several years, Israeli authorities maintained that the child’s official Gaza registration disqualifies him from medical transfer. The court suggested treatment alternatives in Jordan, contradicting medical experts who warned against transporting the fragile patient internationally.
Gisha rights group condemned the decision as supporting “an illegal policy that, in effect, sentences sick children to death.” The organization emphasized this represents a “blatant and ongoing violation of the obligations imposed on Israel as an occupying power under international law.”
The case occurs within the broader context of Israel’s sweeping ban on Gaza entries following October 2023 Hamas-led attacks, which has prevented nearly 4,000 Gazan children from accessing urgent medical treatment. According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, over 9,300 sick and wounded Palestinians have died since October 2023 due to collapsed medical infrastructure and blocked evacuations.