Revisiting the survivors of Israel’s November assault on Gaza
Photos:
- Palestinian children walk by a demolished interior ministry building, heavily bombed last November.
- A Palestinian who lost his lower leg during Israel’s winter 2008-09 attacks on Gaza at a rehabilitation session in the only facility for artificial limbs in Gaza City. Palestinians injured last November will have to wait months for their wounds to heal before being fitted for artificial limbs.
- Saja Muhammad Abu Namous, 11 years old, in the Gaza City room where her family slept during the Israeli military assault. Saja, whose home was damaged, and other family members receive psychosocial treatment.
- Amna Hijazi (left) and her daughter Nour (right) rent a home in Jabaliya refugee camp after their family home destroyed in an Israeli missile strike that killed Amna’s children Mohammad (4) and Suhaib (2) and her husband Fouad. Amna was in a coma for six days and Nour, who had two broken vertebrae in her spine, was bed-ridden for two months and now walks with difficulty. “The first day was difficult for me due to the loss of my father and brothers. I used to play with my brothers, talk to them, hug and spoil them every day when I came home from school,” Nour said in February.
- Jamal Salman is treated Al-Wafa Rehabilitation Center in Gaza. Jamal was severely injured during an Israeli drone strike which hit the courtyard of his house in Beit Lahiya and killed his wife, 22-year-old Tahreer Ziad, and brother-in law. Jamal, the father of two small children, was first treated in Egypt and is now paraplegic and has limited use of one of his arms.
- Itimad Muhammad Salman, mother of Jamal Salman, who was severely injured during an Israeli drone strike, during a psychosocial support session at a home in Beit Lahiya.
- Mohammed Abu Sakran, a four-year-old from Gaza City, in a speech therapy session at a clinic. Mohammed suffers from impaired speech, which has worsened dramatically since the Israeli offensive.
- Rebuilding the Hijazi family home in Jabaliya refugee camp. The family managed to raise money donated by friends, relatives and supporters.
- Amal Ahmad Abdallah, with her six-year-old son in the family’s home in Khan Younis, spends her week at Al-Wafa Rehabilitation Center in Gaza City and returns home every weekend to visit her family. Amal was baking bread with her young son when a missile exploded near her house; she was seriously injured and is now paraplegic. Amal is a teacher but does not know how she will be able to resume working because of the permanent injury.
- Khader Haidar al-Zahhar, 20, at the al-Quds Satellite Channel office in Gaza City. Khader’s lower right leg was amputated after an Israeli strike on his office building. Initially hospitalized in Egypt, he had 12 operations on his leg. At the time of the attack, he was a volunteer. Now he has been employed by the channel and goes into the office every two days. Khader remains positive: “My injury did not affect my desire to continue my work. I’m just waiting for my wound to heal completely to have an artificial limb fitted; I want to work as a cameraman.”
(via palestinianliberator)
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