'Angel of Mostar' evacuates nine sick and severely wounded kids from war-torn Gaza
- 11 days ago
An heroic British aid worker dubbed the 'Angel of Mostar' has helped evacuate nine sick and severely wounded kids from war-torn Gaza by private jet.
Sally Becker told of her 'relief' of saving the children - including double amputee Ahmed Shabbat, 3 - after the plane landed in Trieste, Italy, yesterday (Tues).
And incredible footage showed how another young lad Yousef Hatab, who lost his lower leg when a missile struck his apartment building, waved as he was wheeled to safety.
Sally said about the mercy mission, which is the first privately funded airlift of children from the war-torn region: "I just hope other countries will open their doors to help more children in urgent need of specialist treatment."
The aid worker - who got her nickname after saving hundreds of children in the Bosnian War - spent months planning the mercy mission with partners Gaza Kinder Relief and Project Pure Hope.
And after first negotiating with Palestinian and Israeli authorities to bring the kids to Egypt, she met them with a team of doctors at a military base in Cairo.
The children and their mothers were then flown to Italy, where they were ushered onto a fleet of ambulances and brought to the Burlo Garofolo children’s hospital at around 1am.
Sally said: “I was so relieved when we finally landed as it was looking really unlikely at times.
"Our colleagues at Gaza Kinder Relief have spent months establishing connections with the various authorities in Egypt.
"And the Italian embassy has been amazing, remaining open for several hours into the late evening in order to issue the visas in time for the medevac flight”
"I’d been watching all the images on TV and usually I would go and help, but Gaza is a different story. It’s basically blocked on all sides.
"I can’t just cross the border and evacuate the children myself.
Sally said she was comforted that she could finally get little Ahmad the treatment he needed - and was amazed at the resilience of the kids she'd helped.
She said of his evacuation: "It was fantastic because that poor little boy suffered enough. Now he’ll just be spoiled rotten no doubt.
“Most of their baggage was filled with toys they had been given in Egypt and the plane was filled with gifts from the Refugee Foundation.
“But what is most astounding is their resilience. I expected them to be severely traumatized and instead, they are so accepting of what happened to them.”
Sally, who runs British charity Save A Child, received referrals of injured kids from the Gaza Kinder Relief agency, which has helped dozens of children get medical treatment.
But Sally also approached humanitarian groups Project Pure Hope and Direct Relief, to fund a private charter jet, so that specialists could help some of the children in Europe.
She revealed how she feared the mission might be scuppered at the final moment as she encountered issues with paperwork and logistics.
Sally Becker told of her 'relief' of saving the children - including double amputee Ahmed Shabbat, 3 - after the plane landed in Trieste, Italy, yesterday (Tues).
And incredible footage showed how another young lad Yousef Hatab, who lost his lower leg when a missile struck his apartment building, waved as he was wheeled to safety.
Sally said about the mercy mission, which is the first privately funded airlift of children from the war-torn region: "I just hope other countries will open their doors to help more children in urgent need of specialist treatment."
The aid worker - who got her nickname after saving hundreds of children in the Bosnian War - spent months planning the mercy mission with partners Gaza Kinder Relief and Project Pure Hope.
And after first negotiating with Palestinian and Israeli authorities to bring the kids to Egypt, she met them with a team of doctors at a military base in Cairo.
The children and their mothers were then flown to Italy, where they were ushered onto a fleet of ambulances and brought to the Burlo Garofolo children’s hospital at around 1am.
Sally said: “I was so relieved when we finally landed as it was looking really unlikely at times.
"Our colleagues at Gaza Kinder Relief have spent months establishing connections with the various authorities in Egypt.
"And the Italian embassy has been amazing, remaining open for several hours into the late evening in order to issue the visas in time for the medevac flight”
"I’d been watching all the images on TV and usually I would go and help, but Gaza is a different story. It’s basically blocked on all sides.
"I can’t just cross the border and evacuate the children myself.
Sally said she was comforted that she could finally get little Ahmad the treatment he needed - and was amazed at the resilience of the kids she'd helped.
She said of his evacuation: "It was fantastic because that poor little boy suffered enough. Now he’ll just be spoiled rotten no doubt.
“Most of their baggage was filled with toys they had been given in Egypt and the plane was filled with gifts from the Refugee Foundation.
“But what is most astounding is their resilience. I expected them to be severely traumatized and instead, they are so accepting of what happened to them.”
Sally, who runs British charity Save A Child, received referrals of injured kids from the Gaza Kinder Relief agency, which has helped dozens of children get medical treatment.
But Sally also approached humanitarian groups Project Pure Hope and Direct Relief, to fund a private charter jet, so that specialists could help some of the children in Europe.
She revealed how she feared the mission might be scuppered at the final moment as she encountered issues with paperwork and logistics.