Eng

Bloodshed in Gaza takes shocking toll on children, deeply traumatizes survivors

XINHUA
發布於 2023年10月23日16:16 • SanaaKamal

A toy is seen while people check buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Oct. 23, 2023. The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip has risen to 5,087, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Monday.(Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

GAZA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Abdul Rahaman, a Palestinian child survivor of an Israeli airstrike that killed the rest of his family members, has become numb to anything around since he was sent to al-Shifaa hospital a couple of days ago, said his aunt Wafaa in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

廣告(請繼續閱讀本文)

Behind the door of the pediatric clinic, cramped with kids screaming and crying due to pain from injuries, tight-lipped Abdul Rahaman lay on a bed with his eyes wide open in a trance. Sometimes, a teardrop or two fell down his face.

Medical workers treat an injured person inside Nasser Hospital to save the lives of citizens after Israeli airstrikes, in the center of the city of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, Oct. 22, 2023.(Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

廣告(請繼續閱讀本文)

The boy used to be an active child in the six-member family until he was critically wounded and orphaned in an Israeli strike that leveled the family's house in the al-Shatea refugee camp.

"Abdul Rahaman was stuck with his cousin among two walls and was critically wounded in his legs, stomach, and arms. When the civil defense teams tried to rescue them, they found that his cousin was dead while he was still alive," Wafaa said.

Since then, completely baffled by the attack, the boy has not closed his eyes nor spoken any words to anyone. Occasionally, mumbling voices were heard, as if he was calling for his parents and siblings, according to Wafaa.

廣告(請繼續閱讀本文)

Up to now, no one has the heart to tell him that he has lost his mother, father, and three sisters.

"I don't know how I can tell him what happened. The doctors said he was suffering from severe shock. He is the youngest kid, and he will not bear it," she said.

A woman mourns for her relative at a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 21, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

Malak, 9, was not luckier than Abdul Rahaman. As a child from an already displaced Palestinian family in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, she was injured in the hip and legs and lost her mother and siblings in an Israeli airstrike that took place over their heads while they were sleeping.

After being hospitalized, the girl asked about her parents many times, but no one had an answer for her, said her uncle Mohammed.

"I do not know how to help my brother's daughter deal with this tragedy … There are no answers in war, only unprecedented, harrowing scenes of bloodshed and destruction," the 39-year-old father of three told Xinhua.

"About half of Gaza's population are children … most of those injured in the intense attacks in Gaza are children and women," Waddah al-Shaer, a Gaza-based psychologist, told Xinhua.

Children sit on a heart-shaped installation in front of a building destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Oct. 22, 2023.(Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

The complete siege on Gaza, home to more than 2 million people, and intensive Israeli airstrikes claimed to be targeting Hamas strongholds, have made this Israel-Gaza conflict the "most intensive and violent war that civilians could ever experience in the enclave," according to the psychologist.

Currently, there is no safe place for them due to continuous Israeli bombings, said al-Shaer, adding that for many years to come, a child survivor has to live through psychological problems left by such a traumatic experience.

He urged the international community to pressure Israel to stop its military escalation in Gaza.

The Israeli airstrikes were triggered by a large-scale Hamas attack on Israeli military targets and towns on Oct. 7, which has so far killed at least 1,400 people in Israel.

The death toll in Gaza has risen to 5,087, including 2,055 children, 1,119 women, and 217 elderly people, in addition to 15,273 injuries, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Monday.

Loujain, 11, had no time to take any of her toys and personal belongings when her family escaped from the collapsed building. The girl told Xinhua that since then, she has been unable to sleep, fearing nightmares of war and explosions.

It was a short moment of fun when Loujain was playing with her sister Juliet and other displaced children in the hospital courtyard before the sound of a new round of explosions made all the kids rush into the arms of their mothers.

Still, Juliet said afterward that she dreams of becoming a doctor to save more lives. ■

更多 Eng 相關文章

Cyber "Paw Patrol" hits the streets of Chengdu
XINHUA
KuCoin's "Light Up Africa" Donation Ceremony Held in Ghana, Benefiting 36,000 African Children
PR Newswire (美通社)
Discovering the vibrant city of Macao
XINHUA
X Financial Announces US$48.7 Million Share Repurchase from Major Shareholder
PR Newswire (美通社)
Chinese drone delivery service flies into overseas market
XINHUA
Magic Compass Group Sponsors 2024 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championship
PR Newswire (美通社)
China's State Council appoints, removes officials
XINHUA
Guest Opinion: Promoting harmony and integration -- China's efforts to create a modern Xinjiang
XINHUA
(MacaoSAR 25) Update: Xi visits Macau University of Science and Technology
XINHUA
Chinese, Japanese experts hold new round of dialogue on Fukushima nuclear water discharge
XINHUA
Economic Watch: U.S. Fed slashes rates, fewer cuts expected next year
XINHUA
Trade between mainland, Macao sees steady growth over past 25 years
XINHUA
148 Australians return home from Vanuatu as search, rescue efforts continue following earthquake
XINHUA
Road development propels rural revitalization in China's Sichuan
XINHUA
Funding Societies secures investment from Cool Japan Fund
PR Newswire (美通社)
ATFX Africa: Empowering Traders Across South Africa
PR Newswire (美通社)
(MacaoSAR 25) Update: Xi lauds Macao's success ahead of silver jubilee
XINHUA
China's tourist island launches direct air route to Uzbekistan
XINHUA
China firmly opposes EU adding Chinese individuals, entities on sanctions list against Russia
XINHUA
Letter from Mideast: Fear, relief and dream -- An eyewitness account of Syria's upheaval
XINHUA
Telix Manufacturing Solutions, Brussels South Update: Cyclotron Installation Complete
PR Newswire (美通社)
2024 SRPC: Modernizing for people-centered urban governance
XINHUA