Flags, posters and balloons stood out among the crowd at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where supporters gathered to welcome an injured Palestinian child and his family.
Yassin Alghalban, 12, lost both his legs and a finger in a recent airstrike in Gaza. His father and brother were killed in separate attacks, and the family’s home has been destroyed.
The nonprofit organization HEAL Palestine coordinated Yassin’s trip as part of the largest medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza since the beginning of the current crisis. Fifteen children are expected to land across the United States this week in hopes of medical care.
Over the past 18 months, HEAL Palestine has helped treat dozens of children, according to executive director and co-founder Steve Sosebee.
Yassin is the second child the organization has welcomed to Atlanta.
His arrival Sunday afternoon, alongside his mother and siblings, was met with cheers and embraces from Palestinian community members, local advocates and volunteers.
Yassin will receive prosthetic treatment at Wellstar, but it’s unclear what the road to recovery could look like. He hasn’t walked in more than a year, meaning his muscle function might be weak and require rehabilitation processes.
“If he doesn’t need surgery, he’ll be fitted quicker,” Sosebee said. “But if he needs surgery, then there will be a recovery period, as well.”
Yassin and his siblings are also suffering from severe malnourishment — a hallmark of the worsening food crisis in Gaza. In July alone, 63 people died from malnutrition-related causes in the region, according to reports from the World Health Organization.
In addition to seeking prosthetic treatment and pediatricians, HEAL Palestine hopes to enroll Yassin and his siblings in school. They have not attended classes for two years as a result of closures and conflict in the region, according to Sosebee.
“It’s our duty to get these kids the care that they need,” Sosebee said, “but the need is so overwhelming that it’s very unfortunate.”
Yassin and his family will temporarily reside with Maureen Hermann, a spa owner who lives in Sandy Springs, until they can find permanent housing. Hermann said she has hosted families from Gaza before and previously volunteered with the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, a nonprofit Sosebee also established.
“I’m just really happy to have the family here,” Hermann said. “I hope they can get the medical care and attention they need and feel welcome in this country.”
Mona Megahed, a pediatrician at East Cobb Pediatrics who attended Yassin’s arrival, echoed Hermann’s sentiments, adding that she brought her daughters to the airport to demonstrate their support during the family’s stay in Atlanta.
“If this can happen there, it can happen anywhere,” Megahed said. “If we’re not going to stand up now, when will we do that?”
U.S. officials Friday visited aid distribution sites in Gaza following increasing controversy over the hunger crisis. Special envoy Steve Witkoff wrote on X that the visit would help develop a plan for medical aid and food delivery to the region.
“Children, of course, they are innocent,” Megahed said. “They didn’t do anything to deserve this.”
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