Na'el al-Kurdi, 21

I live with my parents and four brothers in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City . In mid-January 2006, I started to feel sharp abdominal pains and my right testicle became swollen. At first, I didn't think it was anything serious, but the pains gradually got worse. I went to a-Shifa'a Hospital for tests and they found that I had cancer in the right testicle. On 2 March 2006, they removed the testicle.

Following the operation, I received radiotherapy in Egypt , and after that was over, I returned to the Gaza Strip. At first I felt a bit better, but a few days later the pains returned, very sharp pains in my lower abdomen. I went to a-Shifa'a Hospital and the doctors X-rayed me. They thought I had parasites in the abdomen and treated me accordingly.

After they treated me for that, the doctors said I had to do a C.T., which I did at the Red Crescent. Two days later, I got the results. The doctors said I had a growth and not parasites, and that it was located between the kidney and the stomach and was 7-9 centimeters long. The doctor gave me a referral for July to Nasser Hospital , in Egypt , where they would remove the growth. I fainted when I heard the diagnosis,. I was completely dazed by the information. I couldn't believe I had cancer. But I took myself in hand and began to make arrangements for the trip.

Weeks passed before I managed to get a permit from Israel to go to Egypt , and then get to Rafah Crossing when it was open. Finally, I got to Nasser Hospital in Egypt . My cousin Mahmud Ahmad al-Kurdi accompanied me. I underwent tests and X-rays for a month. The doctors decided that chemotherapy would be better for me at that stage than an operation. They prescribed six chemo treatments, one every three weeks.

After the first treatment, I returned to the Strip because my money ran out. I hoped to save up some money at home and then return to Egypt for the second treatment. When I returned via Rafah Crossing, it was very crowded and I got pushed around while waiting in line. Every touch of that kind hurt. After entering the Strip, I immediately went to a-Shifa'a. I was totally exhausted and couldn't move. The doctors in the Oncology Department examined me and found that my immune system was weak. They gave me medication to strengthen it so that I could continue with the chemotherapy. I remained hospitalized for fifteen days. When it was time to go back to Egypt , Rafah Crossing was closed, so I couldn't get there. They decided to give me the second chemo treatment at a-Shifa'a, even though the treatment would not be as good as what I could get in Egypt .

I received the third and fourth treatments at a-Shifa'a too. Then the doctors stopped the treatment because my immune system was not strong enough to withstand the therapy. I was in lots of pain and it was hard for me to move. I stopped eating and was fed intravenously

After the chemotherapy stopped, I felt a bit better. That lasted from November until February 2007. Then, in February, the pains returned, this time much worse. I began to hope that my stomach would just vanish, it hurt me so much. When I went to the hospital, they gave me pain killers and sent me home. The situation remained like that until July. I didn't receive any other treatment during that period because my body had to rest following the chemotherapy, and it was too early to check if the treatment had helped.

In late July, I underwent tests in the Oncology Department at a-Shifa'a. The doctors referred me to Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel for a scan, to see what my condition was and to give me radiation treatment.

I was given the referral on 31 July. I immediately tried to make an appointment at Tel Hashomer. On 25 August, I was informed that an appointment had been made for 10 September. We went to the Health Coordinator, Ahmad Abu Ghazeh, and submitted requests for entry permits.

I lost about thirty kilograms during those three months. I nervously waited for the permit to come. Each day was harder than the one before. My medical condition was deteriorating from day to day. I felt as if my treatment depended on receiving the permit. Each day I said to myself, today I'll get the permit so I can be treated, and then I'd be able to return to my family. I lived with this hope, but the day for my appointment came and I didn't have the permit. Still, I went with my mother to Erez Crossing, hoping the Israelis would let me through, but they didn't. I returned to a-Shifa'a and remained there. They can't treat me and I can only sit and wait until I die.

After I returned to a-Shifa'a, my brother Rami called Physicians for Human Rights and told them that Israel won't let me enter. They asked him to make another appointment, this one at Ichilov Hospital , because I could get an earlier appointment there. I was given an appointment for 30 October.

My whole body started to ache. The disease may have spread. We sent PHR the medical reports and referral, but they didn't manage to get a permit for me.

My family and I were shocked by Israel 's refusal. I am constantly worried that the disease will spread throughout my body before I receive the treatment. I have been sick for more than a year. I am still at a-Shifa'a Hospital and am waiting for the mercy of heaven and Israel to let me go to Ichilov and get well.

On Sunday, 4 November, PHR called my brother and asked for medical reports and a power of attorney so they could file a petition to allow me to get to the hospital. We sent the medical records and a signed power of attorney. We are waiting for an answer with baited breath.

The treatment is crucial. Time is not working in my favor. Now I also have jaundice, and every delay increases the danger that I will die. The cancer is liable to spread throughout my body. The longer we wait, the greater the chances that I am going to die a slow death.

Na’el ‘Abd a-Rahman Khamis al-Kurdi, 21, is a resident of Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City. His testimony was given to Muhammad Sabah at a-Shifa’a Hospital’s Oncology Department on 6 November 2007.