Two girls with heart disease from Gaza were referred for life saving treatment in Jordan. The girls depend on Israel's approval to travel: HaMoked is handling the two cases which illustrate Israel's control over the fate of Gazans and its apathy as to their lives. Israeli control of the crossings into and out of the Gaza Strip bestows upon it responsibility for the freedom of movement of its residents and all the rights derived thereof

A five-year-old heart patient waits in Gaza for an operation to be performed in Jordan. Her mother and four younger brothers who are to join her are waiting as well. Israel approved their travel in an organized, secure shuttle, but the shuttle which was supposed to transport them was cancelled and Israel has not renewed shuttles since. The family have been waiting for a shuttle to take them from Gaza through Israel to the Allenby Bridge border crossing for three months. 

On the other side, in Jordan, a toddler with a heart condition awaits her return home to Gaza. The toddler and her family – parents and a younger brother – left for Egypt about a year ago to seek treatment for her ailment. The parents, who did not imagine that the Rafah border crossing would shut down and that they would remain for such a long time with no possibility of returning home, left their older daughter, aged 5, with her grandparents in the Gaza Strip. The family has been requesting to return home to the Gaza Strip via Jordan and Israel for a very long time.  They too were told that they could return only in a secure shuttle organized by Israel. The family has been waiting for the shuttle since May. 

In both cases, HaMoked filed a petition with the High Court of Justice (HCJ) demanding Israel allow the families to cross through Israel without a secure shuttle. Following the petitions, Israel authorized passage without a shuttle only for the women and children. However, since so much time has elapsed since the applications were submitted Israeli authorization no longer suffices to solve the problem. 

The family waiting in Jordan for Israeli authorization to travel through its territory is required by the Jordanians to pay a hefty fine since they had overstayed their visa. Additionally, the father who did not receive Israeli permission to return to Gaza would have to remain in Jordan with no visa - his fate is unclear. After a year on the road, the family lacks the funds to continue the father's forced presence in Jordan or pay the fine. 

The other family, mother, sick daughter and four younger siblings did embark on the journey from Gaza to Jordan in the beginning of August. When they reached the Allenby Bridge, they were told that the Jordanian entry permit they had was no longer valid. The mother and five children have since remained with relatives in Jericho awaiting a new permit from Jordan. 

As these lines are being written, restrictions on these families' movement are seemingly a result of Jordanian policy, but HaMoked stresses that had Israel approved the requests of both families in a timely manner and took measures to facilitate their passage, the families and girls would have been spared the mental anguish, received treatment and returned home on time and would not have had to wonder on the roads between the Gaza Strip and Jordan for so long.

To view the petition to return to the Gaza Strip dated 12 May 2008 (In Hebrew)

To view the petition to exit the Gaza Strip dated 24 July 2008 (In Hebrew)