Nigerian woman deported from Israel after children imprisoned and 'denied medical treatment'

A Nigerian mother and her four children were deported from Israel this weekend after being imprisoned for refusing to leave for her "son's medical treatment".

Marcy, whose last name has been hidden, arrived in Israel in eight years ago illegally and has remained in the country since.

Israel imprisoned her and her four children six weeks before she was deported, to put pressure on Marcy to leave voluntarily.

Her and her children, whose ages range from two to seven years old have been in Givon Prison after she defied multiple court rulings against her bid to stay in the country.

Macy, whose husband was deported from Israel a year ago said she is in Israel to receive treatment for her son’s severe asthma and the treatment is not available in Nigeria.

She recently told journalists that all she only needed an extra year for her son's treatment, which Israel authorities denied her, according to the mother.

Her case received public attention after the detention of the children was revealed by Israeli news outlets, prompting a backlash. The criticism led to Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri to request the Nigerian embassy in Israel to convince Marcy to leave Israel.

Despite the criticisms, the Israeli interior ministry defended its decision to imprison the toddler and their older siblings, blaming Macy for the imprisonment.

"The lengthy period the mother and her children spent incarcerated happened at the mother's initiative, since she could have boarded a flight to Nigeria long ago," the ministry said in a statement.

Israel has been condemned for violating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child jailing children and migrants and subjecting them to harsh conditions.