The Gaza strip is by and large sealed from the outside world. Governed by authorities of the Hamas terrorist group, it’s difficult for people to cross into Israel due to mounting tensions. The living standard is low, and medical treatment is very limited.

Which brings us to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Doctors here used to train at the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv… one of the best hospitals in the Middle East.

[Prof. Gabriel Barbash, General Director, Sourasky Medical Center]:
"All in all, we had trained here more than one hundred physicians from Shifa that spent months with us, and this relationship, professional and more than professional, persists despite what happened during ten or five years of intifada."

Now, the only way doctors from both hospitals can communicate is over the phone.

So for children who fall ill or need newly specialized medical treatment in Gaza, their options are limited. But some families make it to the Dana Children’s Hospital, located at the Sourasky Medical Center.

This 12-year-old boy was hit by a car in Gaza. He is one of the lucky few to be here.

[Dr. Efraim Sadot, Intensive Care Unit, Dana Children’s Hospital]:
"After a lot of days and nights of treatments and a very, very close monitoring we are able to stabilize his condition."

This child from Gaza is suffering from a rare type of cancer. He needed treatment only available at the Dana Children’s Hospital, but by the time he and his family had their paperwork cleared to cross the border… it was too late to save his right arm.

[Shafik Daaliz, Mohamed's Father, Gaza]:
"It was hard to return even after I got a permit, there was difficulty crossing the border. Mohamed had undergone an operation here a year ago and I was asked to bring him three months later. I don't know what the problem was, but only a year later was I able to bring him back to the hospital."

Oftentimes children are kept in the hospital for weeks and months between treatments; doctors are concerned that if the kids cross back into Gaza, it may be too late before they can make it back to Sourasky.

[Dr. Isaac Meller, Orthopedist & Oncologist]:
"I have no choice, if I send them home there will be a delay in the next treatment. I feel that sending a child to Gaza not knowing when he may be able to return is irresponsible."

In a region that has been plagued by conflict, perhaps this partnership is a lesson many can learn about mending more than hundreds of years of confrontation.

[Maren Elmadhon, Young Patient's Father, Gaza]:
"I believe in peace and it starts here."

This report was made by Aviva Grunpeter, NTD, Tel Aviv, Israel.
 

Photographer: Anat Markram