CLEVELAND — A 13-year-old Palestinian native was welcomed with open arms at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Tuesday night.
Hamza Abu Khater was flown in for medical treatment after a bomb hit his home on June 3.
As a result, Hamza suffered a shortened left leg, a severe open fracture in his left leg, and about 10 cm of bone loss, according to Heal Palestine.
Hamza lost two of his brothers, and his mother was injured in the bombing as well, but she has since recovered.
Currently, he lives with his two sisters and one brother in their partially destroyed home in Khan Younis.
Yaminah Sattarian is a volunteer with Heal Palestine in Cleveland. It’s an organization that provides critical support for children with severe injuries and amputations who cannot receive adequate treatment in Gaza.
Heal Palestine was established in January 2024.
RELATED: Palestinian organizations in Northeast Ohio ready to help Gaza recover
“There's been complete destruction of the health sector. Children are not able to get the health and the aid they need there,” Sattarian told News 5.
So far, Heal Palestine has flown more than 28 children in need of medical treatment from Palestine to the U.S.
Hamza is one of two kids who have been flown to Cleveland.
News 5 first shared the story of Tala, a 14-year-old who flew to Cleveland in May after her home in Gaza was bombed, leaving her without an eye.
RELATED: Community welcomes 14-year-old girl from Gaza to Cleveland for medical treatment
“Hamza was injured on his leg. He's got bones sticking out of his leg itself. He's unable to walk at this time,” Sattarian explained. “Hamza is lucky to be our second child in the Cleveland area that will be getting treatment. We have another child we brought in May who had an eye injury. She's had a replacement eye thus far and she has some more surgeries to go through.”
As Hamza landed in Cleveland and made his way toward the airport lobby, he was greeted by dozens with supportive signs and words of encouragement.
“I was very surprised, and I was very, very happy to see that so many people love us so much that they're willing to go out of their way to do all that for us,” Hamza’s mom said.
She said she’s forever grateful that Heal Palestine flew her son in.
She’s hopeful Northeast Ohio doctors can heal her son and allow him to walk again.
“Whether you're Palestinian or not, it's really humanity supporting these children, supporting these individuals. They're starving. When I think about Hamza, he hasn't been in school in over 14 months. Our organization really has worked within Gaza, within Palestine. We created makeshift hospitals there. We've also created field schools to get these kids educated. It's wrong for kids to not have any education. Our goal is really to provide these children the things they've lost throughout this war,” Sattarian stated. “It's a terrible situation. Palestinians deserve to live. Palestinian children deserve to live.”
If you’d like to donate to Hamza’s journey, CLICK HERE. You can also donate to Heal Palestine directly.
