Doha's Brave Journey from Loss to Healing in Gaza
” I was asleep When I heard a very loud voice. I woke up, and I found myself in the hospital, and my leg was hurting a lot,” recalls Doha.
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Nine-year-old Doha, a bright-eyed girl from Gaza, has endured a life-altering tragedy that many can barely imagine. On a December evening, her family’s home was destroyed in an airstrike, claiming the lives of her parents, and leaving Doha as the sole survivor, with severe injuries to her left leg. Amidst the chaos and heartbreak, Doha found herself grappling with her new reality in a hospital bed.
"I don’t remember what happened. I was asleep when I heard a very loud voice. I woke up, and I found myself in the hospital, and my leg was hurting a lot,” recalls Doha.
On 26 March, following a request from a local partner organisation in Jabalia, UNICEF coordinated with the World Health Organization (WHO) to safely transfer Doha from Al Mamadani Hospital in North Gaza to a specialised field hospital in Rafah. This move was crucial for her ongoing medical care and to reunite her with her extended family, providing her with a semblance of normalcy and emotional support.
Now living with her grandparents in Rafah, Doha is slowly piecing her life back together in the aftermath of the conflict. The echoes of her previous life linger as she speaks fondly of her favourite activities and dreams, "I miss school and my friends. I wish I could return to running and playing with my friends".
Despite her physical injuries limiting her movements, Doha aspires to be the one healing others. "I dream of becoming a physical therapist to help people who struggle with walking," she says, highlighting.
In the Gaza Strip, children like Doha face immense challenges in the midst of the ongoing conflict. Their everyday reality is marred by displacement, injury, and loss burdens no child should bear. They find themselves out of school, their routines disrupted, and their safety inexistent.
Doha’s grandfather, Shawqi, reflects on their shared loss with a heavy heart, "Before their death, her parents were displaced several times, and the last place they settled was where they passed away". He continues, "Doha is one of the prettiest girls and my favourite granddaughter. I will be her father and her support, and nothing will separate us except death".
