Eight-year-old Omar evacuated from Gaza and brought to Belgium for treatment

Updated 23 August 2026, 16:30 CEST — OLEN/BRUSSELS — Eight-year-old Omar, a relative of the Palestinian-Belgian Alsafadi family in Olen, arrived in Belgium after an evacuation from Gaza, Het Nieuwsblad and HLN reported on Sunday. The newspapers said he can now receive specialist treatment for severe injuries sustained during the war.

According to the two reports, Omar suffered extensive burns, an eye injury and the partial amputation of a leg after an attack in Gaza. His relatives in Olen had spent about two months seeking an evacuation because they feared that delayed treatment would require a still more extensive amputation. Neither the Belgian Foreign Ministry nor the World Health Organization had published operational details about his transfer by Sunday afternoon.

The same reporting said a June rocket attack killed Omar’s father and his sisters Lana, 13, and Zena, five. These details come from the family’s account and have not been independently confirmed by Belgian or international authorities. The precise date of Omar’s departure from Gaza, his route to Belgium, the hospital treating him and his present medical condition have not been disclosed, consistent with the privacy required in a case involving a child.

Omar’s arrival follows earlier Belgian medical evacuations organised with international partners. Belgium’s Foreign Ministry said its B-FAST emergency service brought young patients and accompanying relatives from Egypt to Belgium in July 2024 following a WHO request and through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. VRT NWS reported that Belgium subsequently conducted two operations for young patients and evacuated another group of Palestinians in March 2025.

The broader need remains acute. A UN humanitarian snapshot published in March 2026 said more than 18,500 critical patients in Gaza, including 4,000 children, required treatment abroad. A WHO update issued that month said medical evacuations through the Kerem Shalom crossing had been suspended since 28 February, illustrating how access depends on border permissions, available routes, receiving hospitals and coordination among several governments and agencies.

For the Alsafadi family in Olen, Omar’s arrival replaces weeks of uncertainty with a limited measure of relief. The next confirmed development should come from the family or the authorities coordinating his care. Until then, his prognosis and the arrangements for his recovery in Belgium remain private and unknown.