A Palestinian doctor, who is recognised as a refugee in Belgium and is suffering from an aggressive form of cancer, is seeking a court order to force the Belgian state to evacuate his family from the Gaza Strip.
The family has been granted Belgian visas under the family reunification scheme, but remains stranded in the Gaza Strip. The doctor, Dr Mohammed Ayesh, has now taken the Belgian State to the Brussels Court of First Instance. The case is due to be heard this coming Friday, 13 November.
“The family, humanitarian and medical situation of this family is dramatic,” said a press release from supporters. “Dr Ayesh’s wife and children are in Gaza, where the genocide continues.”
Mohammed Ayesh, who is a legal resident in Belgium, is suffering from an aggressive and progressive form of cancer, the prognosis for which remains uncertain.
“He is waiting to be reunited with his wife and four children,” the press release said. “The constant fear that his loved ones will be killed before he has been able to see them again and hold them in his arms adds to the physical suffering caused by his cancer and reduces his chances of recovery.”
Through the legal proceedings, the doctor now aims to denounce the Belgian State’s inaction, according to his supporters.
“Time is a decisive factor in this case. The risk that this family will be deprived of the opportunity to be together again due to the worsening of his illness lends the proceedings an urgent human and medical dimension.
This concerns a mother and four children, the youngest of whom is barely four years old. They have been separated from their husband and father for two years.
In addition to this family’s individual situation, this case raises fundamental questions about the protection of family life, the best interests of the child and the effective exercise of the rights recognised for persons entitled to family reunification, the statement added.
