GAZA KIDS PLAN
Yes.. Everywhere I can't
Yes hello
His phone doesn't stop ringing. In less
than two hours, Dr. Salti will fly to Cairo where he will meet the children who
are crossing the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Now they're in the car and they're off in the direction of Cairo...
The Geneva-based doctor is of
Palestinian origin. He did this in addition to his work as a surgeon and
urologist
On February 22nd, I can offer you the afternoon
At Geneva airport, he met a colleague
from the French NGO that financed the logistics part. He has bad news: the
chartered flight to bring the injured children back to Geneva has just been
cancelled.
There was a cancellation of the first company, okay, it's not a big deal, now we've relaunched two others, the quote is higher and we're waiting for a2nd quote.
01'02'' to 01'08'' TITLE:
EMERGENCY EXIT
When they arrive in Cairo, on the bus
that takes them to the hotel, Asma from the French NGO gives the latest news.
She has just welcomed the children and their mothers. She's still in shock
01’26’’ Asmaa Morcel, Caravanes Solidiaires
01'21'' to 01'24'' They're really, really, really stressed. It's catastrophic, we heard a plane go by and the children, the mother said: it's a plane, I said don't worry, it's not a warplane. She tells me it's been 3 months, we hear that...
01'39'' to 01'57'' Rafah,
February 9, 2024
Until a few hours ago, they were crammed
into tents like this one in Rafah. One and a half million people have taken
refuge here, hoping to escape the bombings. A safe zone, a safe zone according
to the Israeli army, which it ordered to be evacuated a few days ago in
preparation for a ground assault.
The 4 children and their companions went
through this customs to Egypt, they crossed the Sinai desert in an ambulance.
To this hotel near Cairo Airport. And it's another planet.
An all-you-can-eat buffet while in Gaza
they shared rare cans of food.
This teenager is the only one we will
see tonight. The others are already asleep. This burger is his first meal in
months
Doctor and Youssef Hamburger Sequence
02'30'' We eat it
together
02'32'' No no,
eat, eat. He's going to bring back another one.
02'34'' We'll
share it and we'll share the next one
10/20/2016 -
Don't you say "No"
02'42''We cut it
in half
Youssef is 16 years old. He was injured
in a bombing while queuing to fill a jerry can with water. Amputated a leg, a
crushed kidney. He is severely malnourished.
Everything makes him want to. And
tonight, the doctor didn't have the heart to tell him to be careful
03'05'' Go eat
and put down the phone ....
03'10'' Shall I move you forward a little, where are you going?
03’17’’ Raouf Salti,
médecin, directeur Children’s Right For Healthcare
He's very, very, very skinny, he's 15-16 years old, he's not even 30 kilos. . When I touch his hand, there's nothing left but bone, there's nothing left...
The next day at breakfast, the other
kids are there. Their wounds are less visible but still very real. Houdefa, 3
1/2 years old, has severe burns on his stomach. Kenane could lose her kidney
and remain on dialysis for life.
Youssef stayed in his room. He didn't
digest his meal from the night before
03'56'' Hello Youssef,
how are you doing?
03'59'' Hello, how do you
find it today?
04'00''He's very tired
04'02''What is it that
makes him suffer?
04'03''Her belly
Dr. Skaik has also just been released
from Gaza. He is the one who will take care of the children in Geneva in
collaboration with the Swiss doctors.
04'17''Take your arm off
Youssef...
04'18''Leave me like this
04'20''Okay I'll leave
you
In Gaza, he was the director of the only hospital that cared for 10,000 cancer patients. A hospital closed in early November, put out of service by the Israeli army. Like the 34 others that existed in Gaza before the war
04'40''Subhi Skaik,
Director of Turkish-Palestinian Friendship
Hospital, Gaza
What still works is 4 hospitals. And these are very small hospitals. They can't cope with this huge number of wounded. There are about 68,000 injured patients. Many people come to hospitals thinking they are safe places. But that's not the case at all! Yesterday colleagues at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis were killed! They were killed inside the hospital!
Synth: 04'48'' to 04'57''
Nasser Hospital, Khan Yunis, February
15, 2024
It was with him that Dr. Salti drew up
the list of children who could be treated in Geneva according
to their pathology.
This woman, on the other hand, does not
accompany any children. She will join her nephew, who was evacuated last week,
on a first trip. She herself has just lost her eldest son. She leaves the rest
of her family behind.
05'39'' Anhar
I feel safe here and life is sweet, but my head stayed there with the kids. I sleep in a clean bed, my children sleep on the floor, I showed them to you in the pictures, what they were like and what became of them. You've seen the house and what has become of it...
It's home, it's gone, no home, where to go?
He's my son
It was my love
Look how he was
Anhar needs to talk. To recount
his 4 months of wandering with his family under
bombs in this besieged Gaza strip. Above all, she wants to show her life before the war, which now fits
in this one phone.
Sunday morning is the last stage before
the start. They are at the Swiss embassy in Cairo to obtain medical visas. They
are greeted by the head of consular services.
07'12'' Hello, thank you
for coming to the Swiss Embassy.
07' 18'' We're going to
start the proceedings now.
07'23'' Let's go step by
step
07'26'' It's passports...
07'31'' Do you have insurance?
Because you need all kinds of papers.
Travel insurance but also financial guarantees for the stay. To obtain these
visas, Dr. Salti had to block several hundred thousand francs in an account.
Requirement of the Migration Service in Bern. The visa is valid for 3 months.
Then they will have to go home
07'55'' This is the
travel document for this child
07'58''Thank you very
much
I'm glad.
It was quick...
I didn't imagine the last time it took almost 4 hours, now they are well versed in this administrative process, it's magnificent.
On the way back to the hotel, Youssef's mother is relieved. But it, too, is torn. She leaves 5 children behind...
08’37’’ Ikram
Are you relieved? How's your spirits
A little, not too much because of the children who are in Rafah. I've only spoken to them once since I've been here. They don't have a network. Before, I didn't have any news.
08'46'' Do you want to
add something?
08'49''My mother told you
everything...
Youssef doesn't want to talk. He prefers
to show us pictures. He before the war,
in a suit, at his brother's wedding. Him on a football field. His life before
Ikram
He loved football a lot, he loved it, on his desk he had 3 balls on display! None of his brothers could come close to it, it was so precious to him. Even when his father was working in Israel, he would ask him to bring him football boots. His father would show him the shoes over the phone. He then asked her to find him a good ball. He brought back 3 balloons and displayed them in their packaging. God knows if balloons still exist. Or even the house...
On Monday morning, everyone is in the
hotel lobby. Ready to go.
Just before taking off, Anhar calls his
nephew, who is waiting for him in Geneva.
09'54''So Karam, I'm at
the airport, I'll join you soon!
The private jet flight is taken care of
by French footballers of Algerian origin.
For the children and their mothers,
flying is a first, but on board, the faces are sad.
Dr. Salti, for his
part, is moved...
Raouf
I can't find the words, honestly. I have always said that the pleasure of giving is much more intense than the pleasure of receiving. And now I'm very happy, I'm under the stars.
Customs Sequence
That's it, there's him and then there's the kid who's in a wheelchair
Airport Exit
Upon arrival, the children and their
mothers are greeted as stars. Associations, journalists, gifts, flowers. A
mobilization that says a lot about the powerlessness of the people here in the
face of the drama that is being played out in Gaza.
Relief, extreme relief
She's one of the injured, she's the smallest, she's 16 months old
At Dr. Salti's clinic, Anhar is finally reunited with his
nephew.
11'52'' Have you been
waiting for me for a long time?
11'54'' No more than half an hour
The doctor, on the other hand, is
exhausted
Thank you very much, thank you for everyone. We finally succeeded, we took children, we saved lives while the others unfortunately remain there... That said, saving a life is something. We rescued 18 children, with their mom or aunt, so it's a very good thing and I'm really asking for this world to move to do something.
According to UNICEF figures from 7
February, more than 5,350 children have died in the past 4 months. 11,000
injured. And 17,000 separated from their parents.