Malta has welcomed a young Palestinian girl who was injured in an Israeli airstrike for her to receive the necessary treatment.

Prime Minister Robert Abela and his wife Lydia greeted three-year-old Selah Hajras, who suffered severe leg injuries when her house in a city in Southern Gaza, was hit by an Israeli airstrike in mid-November.

The strike killed her mother and brother, while Selah required urgent treatment for the injuries sustained. Her father Ashref was unhurt, but could not locate his daughter, finding her only when doctors posted a video on the social media showing Selah in hospital.

Selah was allowed to leave Gaza because she was on a medical list, but her father was refused permission due to rules barring men under the age of 60 from leaving the country.

Ashraf and Saleh eventually escaped to Gaza by paying smugglers to take them out of the country via the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.

They have been in Egypt for 10 days until they were issued passports by the Palestinian authorities, arriving in Malta via Dubai.

In a post on Facebook, PM Abela said that Selah will be taken good care of during her stay in Malta.