Emotional Reunion in Gaza as Toddlers Evacuated During 2023 Hospital Siege Return Home

Eleven Palestinian children evacuated to Egypt as newborns in 2023 have finally returned to Gaza to reunite with parents they have never known following a UN mission.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 1, 2026, 10:12 AM EDT

Source: Reuters

A New Beginning After Two Years of Separation

The return of the toddlers on Monday was met with tears of joy and complex emotional challenges as parents met children who, in many cases, did not recognize them. Sundus Al-Kurd, whose daughter Bissan was among the returnees, described the moment as a "new beginning," vowing to make up for the years of lost contact. Bissan was one of 29 preterm babies originally moved to Egypt in November 2023 after Israeli forces raided Al Shifa Hospital. At the time, the urgency of the evacuation meant parents were prohibited from accompanying their newborns, leaving the infants in the sole care of international medical teams for over two years.

The Human Cost of the Neonatal Crisis

The survival of these children is a significant medical feat, yet the mission was marked by tragedy. Doctors confirmed that seven of the original 29 evacuated infants died while receiving treatment in Egypt. For the families who were reunited this week, the joy is tempered by the profound loss experienced during the conflict. Sundus Al-Kurd revealed that her daughter Bissan was born via emergency cesarean section after an airstrike killed ten family members, including Bissan's older sister. The returning toddlers now face a starkly different reality, with many families—including the Al-Kurds—living in tent encampments in Gaza City rather than the homes they left behind.

Strategic Context: The U.S.-Brokered Deal

The repatriation of the children was made possible by a significant diplomatic shift. A U.S.-brokered agreement reached last October facilitated a halt in major hostilities and led to the reopening of Gaza’s primary border crossing with Egypt. This diplomatic window allowed the UN to coordinate the logistics of moving the toddlers back into a territory where medical infrastructure remains severely compromised. The mission serves as a rare point of successful humanitarian cooperation in a region where cross-border movements have been strictly limited for years.