Medical Evacuations During Conflicts

In August 1993, during the Bosnian genocide, a

five years old girl called Irma Hadzimuratovic

was severely injured in a mortar shell that killed her

mother.

The doctors of the besieged Sarajevo were not able to treat Irma, and her

medical evacuation was delayed for days because of the UN

bureaucracy and the military blockade, which sparked

a global outrage.

While Irma survived after a delayed transfer to London, her

case actually exposed a wider crisis, as

dozens of Bosnian children died just

waiting for their medical evacuations.

Later, they called this operation Operation Irma,

celebrating rescuing the child.

In February 2026, The WHO announced after Israel

allowed about five injured to have their medical evacuation from

Gaza to Egypt, that this is wonderful, but about eighteen

thousand five hundred Gazans are still waiting to have their

medical evacuation. The number sounds surreal, actually.

The events repeat themselves in a very horrific way, as of the epic

celebrations must make us forget about the endless

people who are waiting and suffering until death.

Actually, the blockade is not a new thing.

During the three years of Leningrad blockade in

1941, hundreds of thousands of children were

trapped in the city and thousands died because

of the blocking of the medical evacuations.

The blueprint here or the pattern here is that they're doing the same.

They block a place, they prevent people from going out and in,

they bomb them, they injure them, then the children die.

Actually, this is still happening, as the RSF in Sudan are besieging now El

Obeid, actively bombing hospitals and blocking people from going

out of the place or even having their medical evacuations.

A year ago, I lost a pure, beautiful soul.

Her name was Ayat Hamdan, and she was about ten years old.

Ayat was displaced in a school alongside with her family, and the Israeli

occupation bombed them.

The Israeli occupation burnt her cotton skin and prevented her from going

outside to get her medical treatment.

Ayat was denied because of the bureaucracy, because of the

administrative complicity, alongside with the genocide that Israel is

committing here in Gaza. Ayat was not

lucky to have an operation to save her just like Irma.

Just another pain and preventable death.

Ayat, this is for you, habibti. Rest in peace.