Gaza City – In May 2021, the occupied Gaza Strip was once again threatened with bloodshed and destruction when Israel launched a terrorist attack. 11 days attacking the army on the walled wall.
It was the fourth major conflict initiated by Israel in Palestine in 14 years, adding to the already difficult conditions and high levels of poverty and unemployment in Gaza that have been closed by Israel and Egypt since 2007.
The attack in May killed at least 260 people, including 39 women and 67 children, and injured more than 1,900, according to the Gaza health ministry. The blast also damaged 1,800 dormitories and slightly demolished another 14,300 homes.
Thousands of Palestinians have been forced to hide in United Nations-run schools.
About seven months later, reconstruction work has begun slowly, though Israel continues to block access to Gaza with much of the equipment it says could be used for military operations.
Negotiations on Egypt’s mediator have failed to reach a permanent end between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Authority that controls Gaza, and tensions remain high.
Many Gaza residents are on the verge of enduring the outcome of the 11-day insurgency, including many youths who were seriously injured.
Al Jazeera spoke with three young people, who had been injured and left with permanent disabilities during an abusive period, to discuss what they had endured and what they were looking forward to in the new year.
‘Mommy, I wish I could see your face’
Mohammed Shaban’s only wish for the new year is to be able to see it again. A seven-year-old boy lost his eyesight on the first day of an Israeli attack in May.
That same day, Mohammed went out with his mother, Somayya, 35, to buy clothes for him and his relatives.
“She was so excited and couldn’t wait to go home to show off her new shoes to her sisters,” Somayya told Al Jazeera.
“All of a sudden, a huge explosion hit the area. I did not remember what happened. Dust, chaos, screaming, blood … “
Somayya stopped talking for a while, then continued. “I remembered Mohammed, I started screaming: ‘Where is my baby? Where is my baby?'”
Mohammed’s eyes were wide open when a plane crash in Israel struck two people on a motorcycle in Jabalia north of the Gaza Strip. She was rushed to a hospital.
“His face was covered with blood and his eyes were bleeding profusely. I fainted when I saw him, ”said Somayya.
After several tests, the doctors decided that Mohammed’s eyes could not be saved and he had to have his eyes removed.
“I can’t stop crying when I see her. He kept asking his brothers, ‘Why do I see only darkness? Why can’t I go to school? ‘”He said.
“Last night he said to me: ‘Mommy, I wish I could see your face.’”
Somayya Shaban, Mohammed’s mother, cries as she describes her plight [Mohammed Salem/Al Jazeera]Mohammed was recently admitted to a school for visually impaired children, but his mother has no hope for the new year.
“After what we have seen this year, I cannot expect the best. Our days are the same. “I believe that the future of Gaza is a lot of suffering and suffering,” he said.
He said what he wants in 2022 should be for Mohammed to see it again. “I wish I could give him my eyes.”
A reports and Defense for Children International (DCIP) says that the year 2021, which killed 86 Palestinian children in the occupied territories, was the deadliest year since 2014.
“In the 11 days since the invasion, Israeli forces have killed Palestinian children using machine guns, live ammunition, and artillery that landed from US warplanes and military planes and Apache helicopters,” the report said. May, called Operation Guardian. of Makoma.
‘I want to be a doctor when I grow up’
Farah Isleem, 12, feels optimistic in the new year, despite having lost a leg in May 2021.
“It was about six o’clock in the morning. I sleep. Suddenly I was startled by an explosion. I could not move. Everyone was screaming around me, “he told Al Jazeera.
The Israeli attack hit Farah’s house on the fifth floor of a house in al-Sabra, central Gaza.
Hazem Isleem, Farah’s father, is a security guard at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. That night, Hazem was on duty, dealing with patients and evacuees who had been bombed.
Farah’s father helps her put on her artificial leg [File: Mohammed Salem/Al Jazeera]Seven of her children rushed to the hospital after being bombed. Six people were seriously injured, but Farah was seriously injured.
He said: “I immediately realized that the leg had to be amputated. “It was broken and bleeding profusely.”
Farah was sent to Jordan, where he traveled with his mother three days after his injury.
After trying to keep her leg up for 15 days, the doctors decided to have her amputated. Then he placed the leg on the stand.
“Imagine your beautiful, intelligent child being amputated at an early age. It is very difficult, “Hazem said.
Farah Isleem wears an artificial leg at their home in Gaza City [File: Mohammed Salem/Al Jazeera]Farah returned from Jordan a month later, her family and school organized a reception to welcome her back.
“My main goal now is my education at school,” Farah told Al Jazeera. “I experience obstacles along the way, but my family is always there for me.”
Farah told Al Jazeera before the injury, he was afraid of seeing blood and injuries. But now he wants to become a doctor, and his New Year’s goal is to learn English fluently because it will help him achieve his dreams.
“I was in so much pain during the treatment. But thank God everything is fine now, ”he said with a smile.
According to UNICEF, prior to the violence, one in three children in Gaza was already seeking treatment for a conflict-related injury. The UN has stressed the importance of maintaining good mental and emotional health for children experiencing life-threatening challenges.
The agency also said that thousands of children in Gaza will need help to provide people with access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation due to the lack of electricity that affects water production in the besieged area.
Mahmoud Naim, 18, lay in bed with paralysis when he was stabbed in the back. [File: Mohammed Salem/Al Jazeera]‘I wish I could walk again’
An 18-year-old girl named Mahmoud Naim is lying on his back in bed, unable to move.
He is paralyzed and unable to feel the bottom of his body since an Israeli bullet struck him in the back and stabbed him in the abdomen on May 18.
“I went to the street to buy some bread for my little ones. I noticed a friend standing there talking with her. Suddenly it exploded. I do not remember anything after that, “Mahmoud told Al Jazeera.
“My life has changed dramatically,” she says.
Mahmoud remained in intensive care for several days before being sent to Egypt for further treatment. She underwent seven surgeries and still needs strong physiotherapy and medication sessions.
Corruption still clings to Mahmoud’s back. He should be removed immediately in order to improve his condition.
“Right now I can’t move on my own. My mother helps me, but my brothers help me [too] young people, ”he said.
Sometimes I sit on the bed and wait for my relatives to come if I want to move.
Prior to his injury, Mahmoud worked in a store to support his family. His father had been ill for some time and his illness had subsided after his son was injured.
Mahmoud told Al Jazeera that he had heard reports that the bullet that hit him was not Israel, but a Palestinian bullet that hit him wrong.
“It was a constant state of war in which everyone was bombed by terrorists, and the victims were innocent people,” he said.
“Despite my experience, I am optimistic about the start of 2022 as each year is a new beginning.
“Enough and sufficient war is going on for us on the Gaza Strip. I hope there will be peace, our lives are going well and I wish I could go again.”
