Children injured in Gaza bombing attacks travel to Chicago in journey to life-changing treatments

CHICAGO (WLS) — Children are making a long journey to Chicago to receive treatment that could save their lives. Eight boys and girls, ages 2 to 17, injured in the war in Gaza, landed at O’Hare airport Monday afternoon.

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Their arrival in the city is a rare opportunity for hope.

They arrived in Chicago after the nearly 14-hour flight from Amman, Jordan, and were welcomed by dozens of Palestinians at the airport gate.

“I just can’t fathom the amount of trauma these children are enduring on a daily basis. And they are just one story. There are thousands of children that need medical care,” said Tareq Hailat, with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

They are all escaping the violence in Gaza for specialized medical treatment, after suffering severe injuries in bombing attacks. Many of them are amputees. They left their families behind in the Middle East, and will stay in the U.S. with host families.

Some signs said “welcome” in Arabic.

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“From where they’re coming from, this is heaven to them. The support they get from Chicago, everybody puts their hands in,” said Belal Muhammad, who is part of a host family.

PCRF arranged for the trip, which included finding medical specialists to do the life-saving surgeries, financing flights and arranging for host families.

“They get prosthesis, physical therapy, the mental health, anything else that needs attention. We will take care of that,” pediatric dentist Dr. Sahar Alrayyes said.

Two of the children will remain in Chicago for their medical treatment. The others are going to other states, including Missouri, South Carolina and Kentucky.

They are all expected to be in the U.S. for several weeks while they rehab and recover.