Naples – A military flight, an ambulance racing through the night and, finally, the open arms of Italy. A Palestinian child of just 2 years old, arriving from the Gaza Strip Gaza, was urgently admitted to the Santobono hospital in Naples, where he will begin a course of treatment for a rare immune system disease.
The little boy, originally from Beit Hanoun, a city in the northeast of Gaza devastated by conflict, landed during the night at Pratica di Mare airport with a humanitarian flight organized by CROSS of Pistoia, under the supervision of the Campania Region. Accompanying him were his father and grandfather, both visibly affected by the journey and the war.
Transported by an ambulance from 118 of the ASL Napoli 1 Centro, the child was immediately taken into care by the team of the General Pediatrics and Dermo-Immuno-Rheumatology department, directed by Prof. Luigi Martemucci.
Doctors suspect chronic granulomatous disease, a rare condition that compromises the immune system, exposing one to very serious infections.
The Santobono Pausilipon Foundation immediately activated the reception protocol: accommodation for family members, Arabic-speaking cultural mediators alongside the family, and psychological support.
Rodolfo Conenna, general manager of AORN Santobono, does not hide his emotion:
“Every child who comes from a war zone is not just a clinical case, but a hope to be protected. Here we give them the opportunity to be treated, far from the bombs. It is a human duty before a medical one.”
The story of the little Palestinian is not an isolated one. Italy, through humanitarian channels and international collaborations, is welcoming more and more minors in need of complex care, often impossible to guarantee in territories devastated by war.
Article published on May 15, 2025 - 15:46 pm
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