Nonprofit bringing injured Palestinian children to metro Atlanta halted by new refugee policies

The Trump administration is restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States from 125,000 to 7,500 — mostly white South Africans.

It’s a dramatic drop that changes America’s traditional role as a haven for people fleeing war and persecution.

The decision is affecting Palestinian families from the Gaza Strip, including one that recently traveled to metro Atlanta to care for a 12-year-old boy who lost his legs during the Israel-Hamas war. Heal Palestine, the nonprofit that’s helping the boy, asked CBS News Atlanta not to use the family’s last name due to safety concerns.

After almost two years of waiting for permission to travel to the United States for emergency medical treatment, Yassin and his family received a warm welcome over the summer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

“I look and see them and say, ‘I’m good,” Fadwa says.

The mother and son traveled from the Gaza Strip to Atlanta with the help of Heal Palestine, which was founded in 2024 to deliver urgent relief to Palestinian children and families.

“He had surgery here in Atlanta with good doctors and good teams, and now he have therapy,” Fadwa said.

Heal Palestine Atlanta volunteer Ghada Elnajjar said that Yassin was hit by an air strike and lost both legs, which had been amputated without anesthesia. 

“When a family like Fadwa’s is evacuated and a child like Yassin is seeking help in the United States, there are communities that come together and help support the child,” Elnajjar said.

The U.S. organization is helping 63 Palestinian children across the country. Several, including Yassin, are in metro Atlanta. 

“We take the child, treat them medically and mentally, so we provide mental health wellness, and continue to provide their education through online resources,” Elnajjar said.

The family lived in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza that saw heavy shelling during the Israel-Hamas war.

Fadwa says she worked as a quantum physicist before coming to America.

“I lose my husband, I lose my house,” she said.

“As a mother, this is so difficult for Fadwa, having to be torn between finding treatment for her 12-year-old and leaving behind part of her heart in Gaza,” Elnajjar said.

Yassin, his brother, and two of his sisters are living in Alpharetta with their mother while he receives physical therapy and treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. His older brother and sister are still in Gaza, unable to travel to the United States because of visa restrictions.

“I’m cooking Palestinian food. I’m talking about Palestine. That’s my country. And if the war destroys everything, I still love this country,” Fadwa said.

A home she loves and hopes to return to once Yassin heals.

Heal Palestine also provides food, water, and supplies for people who are still living in the Gaza Strip and are still working to evacuate more injured children.

You can learn more about the organization here.