Child from Gaza arrives in DFW for medical treatment

Twelve-year-old Adam and his mother arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Friday to a warm welcome of cheers, applause, and chants from dozens of supporters.

For months, the nonprofit humanitarian organization HEAL Palestine had been working to get Adam out of Gaza for medical treatment. Adam, who lost his leg after an Israeli bomb demolished his home, will be treated at Scottish Rite for Children and fitted with an artificial limb, according to Afif Asmar, spokesperson for HEAL Palestine.

Adam is among about a dozen children HEAL has brought to the United States for treatment, but he is the first and only one to come to Dallas during this conflict.

“We’re a charity that takes care of children who have been injured in conflicts or wars. There are many children in need of medical treatment and care now,” Asmar explained. “All the hospitals in Gaza have been decimated by the war, leaving only three out of 36 hospitals still functioning.”

HEAL has set up a field hospital in Gaza to treat less severe cases, but thousands of children cannot get the help they need due to Israel’s blockade restricting medicine and medical supplies.

“These children have lost everything—childhoods, homes, schools, and many have lost family members or even both parents, resulting in numerous orphans and amputees,” Asmar said. He emphasized the need for community support to continue helping children like Adam.

Adam’s family had to relocate multiple times, seeking refuge in various towns.

“One of the most heartbreaking things for parents is to see children suffer, regardless of the country or the reason. No child should have to endure such pain,” said Sam Mohamad, a community member who welcomed Adam at the airport.

Mohamad, a Palestinian who lived in the region as a child, expressed his gratitude to HEAL for bringing Adam to the U.S. “There are thousands of children in Gaza living in constant fear and unable to escape danger,” he said.

He also criticized the U.S. government for its role in the conflict. “It’s hypocritical to welcome and support families in crisis while our tax dollars fund weapons shipments to Israel. My message to our president and future leaders is to end this atrocity. As parents, they wouldn’t want this for their children,” Mohamad said.