CHICAGO (WLS) — There was a warm welcome at O’Hare Airport in Chicago on Sunday for four Palestinian children in need of urgent medical care.
The organization HEAL Palestine brought the children to the U.S. to receive treatment as war rages on in the Gaza strip.
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The organization’s goal is to provide them the healthcare that they couldn’t access in war-torn Gaza.
It was a welcome that they will never forget. Community members cheered on the four Palestinian children after arriving at O’Hare Sunday afternoon.
They will now be calling the U.S. their temporary home amid ongoing unrest in the Middle East.
“Most of the kids we bring have suffered from traumatic injuries, bombings and gunshot injuries,” HEAL Palestine Executive Director Steve Sosebee said. “Our fieldworkers identify the kids and based on what their medical condition is… some cannot be treated , but for those can be treated we identify hospitals in the U.S. that will accept them.”
Three of the children will receive treatment in Chicago, and one will get medical care in Cleveland.
HEAL Palestine, a non-profit, helps with their visas, they arrange for the children to stay with host families and connect them with the healthcare they need. The children also enroll in school.
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Yazan, age 16, is in Chicago for a prosthetics fitting. He spoke to ABC7 through a translator.
“He’s a big soccer fan, so he wants to play soccer, and run, and walk…. be a normal kid,” the translator said.
Bara Abu Alrous, age 8, has been receiving treatment in Chicago for about a year. He came to welcome the new children and had one message for them.
“They’re going to be okay,” he said.
HEAL Palestine said they have accepted more than 30 Palestinian children across the U.S., and the plan is to help more.
“We are stepping up and helping heal these children and show them that they are not forgotten and their life is not disposable,” Sosebee said.
Depending on the severity of the injuries, the children could be stay in the U.S. for six months or even more.
Local hospitals will be donating any healthcare and procedures that the children need, ABC7 was told.
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