War between Israel and Hamas: in Gaza, bombings leave orphans

In the Al school refugee camp Khansa of Rafah (Gaza Strip), Ahmad Jaber, 16, can only move around in a wheelchair. He lives with a phantom limb. His other leg is broken, and an abysmal void has been created in his life by the war between Israel and Hamas. “Life was much better before, and suddenly I lost my father, my mother, my uncle, and I lost my legs”says the orphan.

The three adults who died while fleeing

Ahmad Jaber woke up in the orphan hospital. He doesn’t remember anything except that he was in the car on October 13 with his parents and uncle fleeing from northern Gaza to the south, under Israeli bombardment. The rest is told by his big cousin. “On the second day of the truce, I went back to Gaza, and I found their vehicle. (…) The vehicle was in pieces, hit by a rocket,” he indicates. The three adults died instantly.

Ahmad Jaber and his brother were seriously injured. Her two sisters were in another car and are healthy and save. These orphans were not even able to bury their parents. Like Ahmad, his brother and sisters, at least 25,000 Palestinian children have lost at least one parent since the start of the conflict.