Girl who lost eye in Israeli raid that killed father carries ‘pain mountains can't bear’

Suddenly, Malak stops speaking, leans guardant a fraction and kisses the babe sitting connected her lap. Her sister Rahma is fair-haired and has bluish eyes. There is simply a 13-year property quality betwixt them. But to Malak - who mislaid her begetter successful an Israeli onslaught - the four-month-old babe is an unimaginably precious gift.

“I emotion her truthful much, successful a mode no-one other knows,” she says.

The BBC went backmost to conscionable Malak and others successful Gaza arsenic the archetypal day of the warfare approached. We archetypal interviewed Malak successful February, conscionable aft the decease of her father, Abed-Alrahman al-Najjar, a 32-year-old workplace labourer.

The begetter of seven, believed to person been deed by shrapnel, was among much than 70 radical killed during an Israeli commando cognition to rescue 2 hostages held by Hamas successful Rafah. He was dormant with his household successful a exile structure erstwhile the raid happened.

Their structure was adjacent to the country of the fighting. Malak mislaid an oculus successful the attack. She besides suffered a coiled successful her side. Back past she was severely traumatised - erstwhile she met a BBC colleague, she called retired successful anguish, “I americium successful pain. I mislaid my dad. Enough!”

Since then, doctors person fitted a tiny achromatic sphere successful her bare oculus socket. It volition person to suffice until the warfare ends and she hopefully tin beryllium fitted with a due prosthetic eye.

But Malak does not kick astir this nonaccomplishment - rather, she imagines however her begetter would respond if helium could clasp babe Rahma, calved 3 months aft his death. She smiles and says: “He ever wanted to person a girl with bluish eyes.”

After what has happened, Malak wants to bid arsenic an oculus doctor, to assistance others who endure arsenic she does.

She is sitting connected a factual level successful Khan Younis successful confederate Gaza with the babe and her 5 different younger siblings - 3 sisters, 2 brothers, aged betwixt 4 and 12 years old. Before the war, their begetter worked hard connected different people’s farms to enactment his family.

“Our begetter utilized to instrumentality america retired and bargain america apparel successful the winter. He was truthful benignant to us. He would contradict himself but ne'er us,” Malak remembers.

Then came 7 October 2023, and the Hamas battle connected Israel successful which implicit 1,200 Israelis were killed - among them, dozens of children. More than 250 hostages were abducted into Gaza. There were 30 children seized, including a babe of 9 months.

The onslaught triggered Israel’s crushed invasion, relentless aerial strikes and warring with Hamas. Almost 42,000 radical person present been killed, according to the Hamas-run wellness ministry. About 90% of Gaza’s colonisation - astir 2 cardinal radical - are displaced, according to the United Nations. Malak’s household has been uprooted 4 times.

“I transportation a symptom that adjacent mountains cannot bear,” she says. “We were displaced, and it feels similar our full beingness is displacement. We determination from spot to place.”

The Israeli authorities refuses to let overseas reporters into Gaza, and the BBC relies connected a squad of section journalists to screen the humanitarian crisis. We briefed them with questions and asked them to interaction immoderate of the Palestinians we person spoken to successful Gaza implicit the past 12 months.

These journalists stock the fearfulness and displacement of the radical they study on. Displacement means uncertainty. Constant fear. Will the child, sent for a bucket of water, travel home? Or volition they instrumentality to find their location flattened, and their household buried nether the rubble? These are the questions that haunt Abed-Alrahman’s young widow, Nawara, each day.

“There is ever shelling and we are ever afraid, terrified. I perpetually clasp my children adjacent and hug them,” she says.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) archer radical to determination to alleged “humanitarian zones”. People fly but often find nary safety. When they move, the conflict to find food, firewood and medicine successful an unfamiliar spot starts again.

The al-Najjars are present backmost successful their household home, but they cognize they whitethorn person to fly again. That is the inescapable world of their lives aft a twelvemonth of war. In the words of Nawara, determination is “no harmless spot successful the Gaza Strip”.

Nawara complains of the overflowing sewage successful the street. The deficiency of aesculapian supplies. Like truthful galore successful Gaza, with nary income, she depends connected what nutrient her in-laws oregon charities tin supply.

There are nary schools unfastened for her children, who are among the 465,000 that Unicef - the UN Children’s Fund - estimation are affected by schoolhouse closures there.

“Our wellness - my children’s and excavation - is bad. They are ever sick, ever person fevers oregon diarrhoea. They are ever feeling unwell,” Nawara adds.

Through each of this, she holds connected to the representation of her hubby Abed-Alrahman.

“I look astatine his picture, and support talking to him. I ideate he’s inactive alive,” she says. “I support talking to him connected the telephone arsenic if he’s replying to me, and I ideate answering back. Every time I beryllium by myself, bring up his name, speech to him, and cry. I consciousness similar he’s alert of everything I’m going through.”

And Malak excessively has her regular ritual. She and 1 of her sisters effort to bash a charitable deed each time successful representation of their father. When possible, their aunt makes a acquisition of nutrient for the dormant man. “At night, we enactment it retired and commune for him,” Malak says.

The stories of Nawara al-Najjar and Malak are a fragmentary glimpse into the suffering of the past 12 months. As the warfare enters its 2nd year, our BBC colleagues connected the crushed proceed to study connected decease and displacement. In bluish Gaza we re-visited the household of a disabled antheral who died aft being attacked successful an Israeli hunt operation.

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Muhammed Bhar was terrified. The canine growled and lunged. It was biting, drafting humor and helium could not halt it. Around him, the sitting country was afloat of sound - his parent and small niece screaming, the Israeli soldiers shouting orders.

Muhammed, aged 24, had Down's syndrome and was autistic - helium could not person understood what was happening. When a BBC workfellow archetypal spoke to his household successful July, they were inactive struggling with the daze of what had happened.

Muhammed’s mother, Nabila, 70, described what she remembered: “I perpetually spot the canine tearing astatine him and his hand, and the humor pouring from his hand.

“This country I volition ne'er hide - it stays successful beforehand of my eyes the full time, it ne'er leaves maine astatine all. We couldn't prevention him, neither from them, nor from the dog.”

The incidental happened connected 3 July, arsenic troops were engaged successful aggravated close-quarter combat successful Shejaiya. The IDF said that determination were “significant exchanges of occurrence betwixt [its troops] and Hamas terrorists”.

According to the IDF, troops were searching buildings for Hamas utilizing a canine - these animals are regularly utilized to hunt for fighters, booby traps, explosives and weapons.

“Inside 1 of the buildings,” the IDF said, “the canine detected terrorists and spot an individual.” The soldiers restrained the carnal and gave Muhammed immoderate “initial aesculapian treatment” successful different room.

Nabila Bhar said a subject doc arrived and went into the country wherever Muhammed was lying. His niece, Janna Bhar, 11, remembered troops saying helium was “fine”.

Two of Muhammed’s brothers were arrested during the raid, according to the family. They accidental 1 has since been released.

Nabila said the remainder of the household was ordered to leave. They pleaded to beryllium allowed to enactment with the wounded Muhammed. The IDF said they were “urged to permission to debar staying successful the combat area”.

Some clip aft this - the service has not said however agelong - the troops left. The IDF said they went to assistance soldiers who had been ambushed. The service study for 3 July named Capt Roy Miller, 21, arsenic having been killed, and 3 different soldiers wounded, during warring successful Shejaiya.

Muhammed was present alone. The IDF connection did not accidental what information helium was successful erstwhile the soldiers left. His member Jibreel believes helium had not been fixed due treatment.

“They could person treated him overmuch amended than they did, but they conscionable enactment immoderate gauze connected him, arsenic if they did a quick, careless job. Whether helium lived oregon died didn’t look to substance to them,” helium says.

The Israelis withdrew from the neighbourhood a week aboriginal and Muhammed’s household returned. They recovered him dormant connected the room floor.

It is inactive not known what precisely caused his decease aft helium was attacked by the dog. In the existent wartime circumstances the household has not been capable to person an autopsy carried out.

The young antheral was buried successful an alleyway beside the location due to the fact that it was excessively unsafe to spell to the cemetery wherever his begetter - who died earlier the warfare - was interred.

Three months later, Muhammed is inactive interred successful the alleyway. His member Jibreel has covered the sedate with integrative sheeting, immoderate factual blocks and a expanse of corrugated iron. It is surrounded by a messiness of rubble and pieces of metal, the detritus from bombed-out buildings nearby.

Inside, Muhammed’s chamber has been near shuttered. Jibreel opens the door, walks into the darkness, opens a wardrobe and takes retired immoderate of his brother’s clothes. Along with immoderate photographs and household videos, they are the remaining mementoes of his beingness successful the house.

“His idiosyncratic country was wherever helium exercised, played, and ate, and no-one entered this country but for him,” helium says. In the sitting room, Jibreel points to the sofa wherever Muhammed was sitting erstwhile the canine attacked. The humor stains person dried into the fabric.

“Every country of this location reminds america of Muhammad,” Jibreel says. “This is the spot wherever helium would ever sit. We would beryllium astir him, making definite not to disturb him. He loved bid and quiet.”

The household wants an autarkic probe into his death.

“Once the warfare ends and planetary quality rights organisations and ineligible groups return,” says Jibreel, “we volition decidedly record a ineligible lawsuit against the Israeli army.

“Muhammad was a peculiar lawsuit - helium wasn’t a fighter, helium wasn’t armed, conscionable an mean civilian. He wasn’t adjacent conscionable immoderate civilian, helium had peculiar needs.”

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Most of Dr Amjad Elawa’s neighbours and friends person gone. They are either dormant oregon person fled south, hoping it volition beryllium safer there. When helium walks location from the hospital, helium sees radical connected the streets talking to themselves.

“No 1 is successful their close caput anymore,” helium says.

Dr Elawa, 32, works successful the Emergency Services section of al-Shifa infirmary successful bluish Gaza. Back astatine the commencement of the warfare it was the largest aesculapian analyzable successful the Gaza Strip. Now, overmuch of the infirmary is successful ruins pursuing 2 large raids by the IDF, who said Hamas and different gunmen utilized the installation to program and motorboat attacks successful breach of planetary law. The complaint is rejected by Gaza's wellness ministry, which accuses Israel of committing warfare crimes astatine al-Shifa.

Dr Elawa has seen children dice successful beforehand of him. Victims of warfare wounds. Of disease, often caused by the deficiency of cleanable water. And erstwhile the BBC archetypal met him, the country was facing acute malnutrition.

In February - erstwhile the BBC archetypal interviewed Dr Elawa - helium described witnessing the decease of two-month-old Mahmoud Fatou. The babe lad died soon aft being brought to the hospital.

"This kid could not beryllium provided with milk. His mum was not provided with nutrient to beryllium capable to breastfeed him," said Dr Elawa. "He had symptoms of terrible dehydration, and helium was taking his past breaths erstwhile helium came."

Dr Elawa’s ain lad was calved 12 days aft the 7 October attacks. After the decease of Mahmoud Fatou, helium reflected connected his ain household situation.

“We were each shocked - this kid could beryllium our child. Maybe my lad aft a fewer days volition beryllium conscionable similar him,” helium said. Thankfully, Dr Elawa’s lad is steadfast and astir to observe his archetypal birthday.

The doc faces the aforesaid problems arsenic astir everybody other successful bluish Gaza. His location was destroyed and helium had to determination with his household to a patient’s home.

The UN and humanitarian NGOs successful Gaza accidental Israel has regularly blocked assistance from entering. For example, successful the archetypal 2 weeks of January (the period earlier we met Dr Elawa), the UN said 69% of requests to determination assistance and 95% of missions to supply substance and medicines to h2o reservoirs, h2o wells and wellness facilities successful bluish Gaza, were refused. Israel denies blocking aid.

Dr Elawa queued for nutrient whenever helium could get immoderate escaped time. This led to him being wounded erstwhile Israeli forces opened occurrence astatine Nabulsi roundabout successful bluish Gaza connected 29 February.

Thousands of radical had gathered, hoping to beryllium fixed flour from an assistance convoy escorted by the IDF. More than 100 radical were killed and implicit 700 wounded according to the Hamas-run wellness ministry. The IDF said astir of the casualties were caused by a stampede arsenic radical rushed the trucks.

The service said determination were 2 incidents astatine the roundabout. It fired informing shots and past changeable astatine individuals who the troops believed were a threat. Numerous survivors situation that account, and accidental the stampede was caused by the service firing into the crowd.

Dr Elawa treated his ain coiled and past went to assistance survivors. Within days helium was backmost connected work astatine al-Shifa.

A BBC workfellow returned precocious to find Dr Elawa inactive moving successful the exigency section. He returns to the taxable of the wounded children helium treats.

“They are the lone ones who truly disturbance our emotions, particularly erstwhile their limbs are lost. It’s a genuinely affectional and heartbreaking situation. We spot children who haven’t experienced overmuch of beingness yet, losing their legs.”

On a break, helium goes extracurricular and points to the ruins of antithetic buildings. “It utilized to person an intensive attraction unit, an operating room, and a cardiology department,” helium says.

“Whether it’s aesculapian devices, equipment, oregon thing else, each are wholly destroyed, adjacent the beds. We request a fully-equipped hospital, built from scratch.”

When Dr Elawa returned aft the 2nd Israeli raid determination was an overpowering stench of decease from respective wide graves. One of the infirmary directors, Mohamed Mughir, says determination were “signs of tract executions, binding marks, gunshot wounds to the caput and torture marks connected the limbs” of immoderate of the corpses.

The IDF contradict allegations of warfare crimes and accidental the graves incorporate bodies exhumed and past re-buried by the service erstwhile searching for dormant Israeli hostages.

"The assertion that the IDF buried Palestinian bodies is baseless and unfounded," it says.

The UN Human Rights Director, Volker Turk, says that, fixed what helium calls “the prevailing clime of impunity”, determination should beryllium an autarkic planetary investigation.

There is much nutrient now. Dr Elawa has a proviso of flour but says determination are nary vegetables, effect oregon meat. They usage canned foods instead.

Like truthful galore who enactment to prevention lives successful Gaza, Dr Elawa prays for the warfare to end.

“We privation to instrumentality to our aged lives, to beryllium capable to slumber safely, to locomotion successful the streets safely, to sojourn our loved ones and relatives - those who are inactive alive.”