Micah Jonah
February 13, 2026
Mariam al-Najjar, a Palestinian cancer patient, has finally returned to Gaza after being stranded in Egypt for nearly two years, reuniting with her family at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.
Mariam traveled to Egypt in March 2024 for cancer treatment, just months into Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, which has claimed over 72,000 lives. The closure of the Rafah crossing by Israeli forces in May 2024 turned what was intended to be a temporary separation into a two-year ordeal.
Her son, Mohammad al-Najjar, described the reunion: “We feel happy because we will see my mother again, but we are sad because the situation has changed so much. We lost my brother, and our homes; we lost two houses, there is nothing left for us.”
The Rafah crossing, a key route for humanitarian aid and medical evacuations, was partially reopened earlier this month under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, but Israel continues to impose strict limits on movement, intensive security checks, and delays. Although plans allowed for 50 patients to leave daily, only five were permitted to exit on February 2.
Mariam remains hospitalized at Nasser Medical Complex for further treatment, while her family returned to their nearby tent shelter, unable to reclaim their destroyed home. Despite the devastation, Mariam said, “We wouldn’t find another place like Gaza even if we searched the whole world. Even in its destruction, it is worth the whole world.”
The al-Najjar family’s reunion highlights the human impact of Gaza’s conflict, where many Palestinians remain separated from loved ones due to restricted crossings, bureaucracy, and ongoing military control.
