A Palestinian girl paralyzed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza will be allowed to remain in the country for medical care, according to a government document released last week.
The decision enables 9-year-old Marya Amen, along with her brother and father, to stay in Israel as temporary residents. The status ensures state-sponsored health insurance and compensation for the girl, who needs a respirator to breathe.
A letter signed by Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai and obtained by the Associated Press cites a “special humanitarian case” in granting the residency request.
Amen was wounded in a 2006 airstrike targeting Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza City. Her mother, one brother and grandmother were killed. Since then, she has been at a Jerusalem hospital. Doctors expect Amen to remain paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of her life. — ap