Fatma Jalal al-Masri

Their life

Fatma Jalal al-Masri was a 1-year-old Palestinian toddler from the Gaza Strip. She was diagnosed in 2021 with a ventricular septal defect, a serious congenital heart condition. Despite medical referrals and multiple hospital appointments at Al-Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem, she was denied the necessary Israeli exit permits to receive treatment outside Gaza. Due to the restrictions and delays imposed by Israel’s permit system, her health deteriorated over several months, and she tragically died on March 25, 2022, at the Gaza European Hospital. Fatma’s death highlights the dire consequences of Israel’s blockade and movement restrictions on Palestinian patients, particularly vulnerable children.

Fatma Jalal al-Masri was a 1-year-old Palestinian child from the Gaza Strip, born with a ventricular septal defect diagnosed in 2021. This congenital heart condition required specialized medical care unavailable within Gaza. Although she obtained referrals from the Palestinian Ministry of Health and scheduled appointments at Al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities repeatedly denied her exit permits through the Erez crossing, preventing her from accessing lifesaving treatment.

This denial was part of a wider pattern affecting Palestinian patients in Gaza, where approximately 30% of urgent permit requests are refused or delayed, significantly undermining the right to health. Fatma’s health declined progressively, and three weeks after missing her last appointment on March 5, 2022, she passed away at the Gaza European Hospital.

Her case exemplifies the severe humanitarian impact of Israel’s ongoing blockade and movement restrictions, which have been documented by human rights groups as systematic violations of international law and medical ethics. Fatma’s death is part of a broader pattern where dozens of Palestinians, including many children and women, have died due to permit denials since 2011.

How they died

Complications from a congenital heart defect exacerbated by denial of access to medical care outside Gaza.

Fatma’s congenital ventricular septal defect required advanced medical treatment available only outside the Gaza Strip. Despite multiple scheduled hospital appointments, Israeli authorities denied the necessary travel permits for her to access specialized care. The resulting delays and restrictions severely worsened her condition, ultimately leading to her death on March 25, 2022, at the Gaza European Hospital, where she was confined due to the blockade. This tragic outcome underscores the lethal impact of the permit system and movement restrictions imposed by Israel on Palestinian patients.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Fatma Jalal al-Masri, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources