12-year-old Gaza refugee brought to Atlanta as apart of massive medical evacuation
Yassin Alghalban, 12, is among the latest group to escape the conflict, arriving in Atlanta Sunday afternoon.
While searching for his toys in the rubble of their destroyed home on April 12, 2024, the 12-year-old lost both of his legs when an airstrike hit.
Yassin's mother, Fadwa Almasry, said they've been trying to get medical care since then, but have faced several challenges in their attempts to evacuate, including the closure of the Rafah crossing and random security blocks.
Steve Sosebee, co-founder of Heal Palestine, says they have been able to bring dozens of children over to the U.S. over the last year and a half.
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'We actually have the largest single evacuation of injured kids coming to the United States today,' Sosebee told Channel 2's Brittany Kleinpeter.
Sosebee welcomed Yassin and his family on Sunday afternoon, joined by a crowd of metro Atlanta supporters.
'The health sector in Gaza has been destroyed the so the treatment he should be getting in his land among his family and his people is not available to him,' said Sosebee.
Yassin not only lost his legs but also lost his father in a bombing. The 12-year-old and his siblings have been living on one or no meals each day.
'They're all suffering from different levels of malnutrition,' added Sosebee.
Yassin's doctor, who didn't want to be identified for safety and security reasons, shared that the 12-year-old will begin treatment this week, and they are looking at getting him prosthetics.
Through a translator, Yassin's mother shared this sentiment about her son's care.
'I'm very happy as a mom to be able to have this opportunity for him to be treated, and what I want to see is Yassin to walk again. And I want him to get back to normal life, where he's earning an education. I want him to be a teacher or a doctor,' said Almasry.
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