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| 10-Year-Old Palestinian Girl, Mais Abdel Aal, Dies After Pleas for Medical Evacuation Abroad Go Unanswered. |
Gaza City– In yet another heartbreaking tragedy amid the ongoing conflict, 10-year-old 'Mais Abdel Aal' has died after suffering critical injuries from an Israeli drone strike. Mais, who was shot in the head during an aerial assault on her neighborhood, passed away after multiple appeals for permission to travel abroad for emergency treatment went unanswered.
The child had been clinging to life for several days in a poorly equipped medical facility in southern Gaza. According to medical staff at the *Nasser Hospital* in Khan Younis, Mais’s condition was beyond the capacity of the besieged enclave’s crumbling health system, which has been severely debilitated by months of war, blockade, and bombardment.
"Mais had a chance to survive — if only she had been allowed to leave," said Dr. Mahmoud Al-Sarraj, the neurosurgeon who treated her. "We did everything we could, but she needed advanced care that Gaza simply cannot provide under these circumstances."
A Child Caught in the Crossfire
Mais was injured last week when an Israeli drone targeted an alleged militant position in Rafah. Witnesses say the explosion rocked a densely populated civilian area, and Mais, who had been playing near her home, was struck in the head by shrapnel.
Her father, Ahmed Abdel Aal, described the moment she was hit. "She was just a little girl — playing, laughing. Then in a flash, she was lying in my arms, covered in blood. We begged for help, we begged to get her out. But nobody answered."
Blocked From Leaving Gaza
Efforts by Mais’s family and multiple human rights organizations to secure her evacuation for medical treatment were unsuccessful. Requests to Israeli authorities, as well as appeals to international bodies including the Red Cross and World Health Organization, reportedly went unacknowledged or were rejected due to what officials cited as “security concerns.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health condemned the inaction, calling Mais’s death “a direct result of international indifference and the systematic denial of medical rights to Palestinian civilians.”
"This is not an isolated case," said a ministry spokesperson. "Every week, we lose patients who could have survived — children, elderly, injured — all because they are not allowed to access medical care outside Gaza."
International Reactions
News of Mais’s death has sparked outrage online and among human rights groups. Amnesty International issued a statement calling for an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death and the broader policy of restricting medical evacuations.
UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, also expressed deep sorrow and called the incident a "moral and legal failure."
"The death of Mais is a stain on the conscience of the world," Albanese tweeted. "A child was denied the chance to live — not by her injuries, but by the deliberate denial of access to care."
A Symbol of a Wounded Generation
Mais’s tragic death has become a painful symbol of the toll the war is taking on Gaza’s children. According to UNICEF, more than 17,000 children have been killed, injured, or orphaned since the beginning of the current escalation. With hospitals overwhelmed, borders tightly sealed, and humanitarian corridors often closed or under attack, prospects for life-saving care are grim.
In her final days, Mais reportedly remained unconscious. Her small body was buried today in a quiet ceremony in Khan Younis, surrounded by mourners and devastated family members.
“She was kind, she was clever, she wanted to be a doctor,” her mother whispered through tears. “Now she is gone — and the world just watched.”
Sources: Palestine info center