Gaza Boy, 8, Blocked From Life-Saving Care in Belgium

Eight-year-old Omar Alsafadi lost his right leg in an Israeli rocket attack on his family home in Gaza City on June 20, 2026. His father and two sisters were killed in the strike. Now, with hospital beds prepared in Antwerp and Ghent, top surgeons on standby, and a seat reserved on a medical evacuation flight scheduled for August 17, a single bureaucratic obstacle stands between Omar and the care that could save his life: an Israeli exit permit.

A Family Devastated by War

Omar’s ordeal began at approximately 2 AM on June 20, when an Israeli Apache attack helicopter fired a rocket at the family home on Al-Thalathini Street in Gaza City, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. The family was sleeping when the explosion tore through the building. Omar’s father, Hussein Alsafadi, and his sisters Lana (14) and Zaina (5) were killed instantly. His mother and brother were wounded.

Omar survived but sustained catastrophic injuries: his right leg was amputated at the thigh, he suffered deep burns across his body, and dozens of metal shrapnel fragments remain embedded in his arms, back, and remaining leg. He now weighs less than 20 kilograms and is severely depressed, having told his mother he no longer wants to live.

“Omar doesn’t want to eat anymore,” his cousin Shahd Alsafadi, a 20-year-old law student at the University of Antwerp, told HLN. “He doesn’t understand why he can’t run or play like before. Omar saw his sisters die and doesn’t want anyone to see his face anymore.”

Belgium’s Solidarity Chain

What followed was an extraordinary chain of human solidarity that reached the highest levels of the Belgian government. After Shahd sent a desperate WhatsApp message to her professor, Pierre Thiriar—a judge at the Court of Appeal in Antwerp—on June 25, Thiriar posted her story on LinkedIn. It went viral, with over 100,000 views.

Antwerp Mayor Els van Doesburg soon contacted Thiriar, and the political and medical machinery was activated. ZAS Hospital in Antwerp and UZ Gent both agreed to take Omar, with top doctors ready to operate. The decision was finalized during a formal meeting between Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke and Prime Minister Bart De Wever. Because Omar is a minor, his mother, brother, and sister were also approved to travel.

“From hospital directors to ministers: the human solidarity chain in our country worked perfectly,” Thiriar said.

A Catch-22 at the Border

Europe is organizing three medical evacuation flights for wounded children this summer: August 1, August 17, and August 31. Omar is scheduled for the August 17 flight, organized by the Norwegian government. The World Health Organization located Omar in Gaza within hours and placed him on the official list.

But to cross the border—via Egypt or the West Bank—an explicit exit permit and visa stamp from Israeli authorities is required. And here lies the catch-22: to obtain a visa, one must physically appear at a consular post in the West Bank, but one cannot leave Gaza without prior authorization.

“It’s a chain of pure arbitrariness,” Thiriar explained. “To get a visa, you must physically report to a consular post in the West Bank. But you can’t get out of Gaza without prior authorization. It’s a ‘catch-22,’ an open-air prison.”

Israeli officials reportedly use a standard processing time of four to six weeks for such applications, regardless of medical urgency. The first evacuation flight on August 1 was missed—Omar could not obtain the necessary permits in time.

A Worsening Medical Crisis

Omar currently remains at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, the largest medical complex in the territory, which has been largely destroyed by Israeli attacks. His grandfather, who works there as a nurse, tries to care for him amid conditions described as “medieval”—no clean water, no hygiene, no medicines.

Doctors fear acute sepsis due to the shrapnel and lack of sterile materials. Because of chronic antibiotic shortages, doctors must repeatedly cut away dead flesh around his amputated leg. According to NRC Handelsblad, at least 1,500 severely wounded children are stuck in the same situation as Omar.

The broader crisis is staggering. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 15,600 people—including 3,800 children—urgently need medical evacuation from Gaza. Since October 2023, WHO has helped evacuate about 7,672 patients, including 5,332 children. But between March and September 2025, when hostilities resumed, only 534 patients were allowed out.

Untold Magazine reported in February that at least 1,286 people had died awaiting evacuation. Humanitarian workers estimate that 80-90% of evacuation requests are denied or first approved then denied by Israeli authorities.

The Ceasefire That Isn’t

Despite a ceasefire brokered in October 2025 by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, attacks have continued. According to Al Jazeera, at least 1,222 Palestinians have been killed and 4,053 injured since the ceasefire. In July 2026, 152 Palestinians were killed—the highest monthly toll of the year. Palestinians describe the ceasefire as “an illusion” as attacks continue and humanitarian aid is restricted.

For the Alsafadi family, the toll has been devastating. They have lost at least 30-34 family members since October 2023. A GoFundMe campaign organized by Shahd Alsafadi has raised €2,300 of a €16,000 goal.

A Race Against Time

If Omar misses the August 17 flight, doctors fear it may be too late. Sepsis or another bomb on the ruins of Al-Shifa Hospital could be fatal.

“We already had to let the August 1 opportunity pass,” Thiriar said. “It is an absolute must for us that Omar comes to Belgium on August 17. In the Talmud it is written: Whoever saves one person, saves the whole of humanity. We cannot stop the entire war in the Middle East, but we CAN save this 8-year-old boy. There is no political message, there is no security risk. It’s just a child with an amputated leg who needs help. We’re not asking for much: just that one official in Israel puts that stamp.”

Belgium has previously evacuated patients from Gaza through its B-FAST rapid intervention service, carrying out evacuations of young patients in July and December 2024, as documented by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The Brussels Times.

Thiriar, who has taught law for twenty years, expressed his frustration: “How can I still explain to my students that something like law and humanity exists when you see this total arbitrariness?”

“It’s not ‘the anonymous state of Israel’ doing this,” he added. “It’s very concrete officials and people at a ministry who simply need to put a stamp on a piece of paper to let that little boy get on the plane. They are individually deciding about life and death right now.”

As the August 17 flight approaches, the question remains whether one official will put that stamp on the paper—and whether an 8-year-old boy who has already lost so much will get the chance to live.