Three-year-old Hanan al-Doqi is one of Gaza’s amputee children.
Every time she cries and calls out for her mother, the heart breaks for Aunt Shiffa al-Doqi, who watches over her bedside.
– I am so very sorry. When I see her – without her mother and without her legs – everything feels dark and meaningless, she says.
Since international journalists are not allowed into Gaza, TV4 has commissioned freelancer Samy Zyara to meet the civilian victims of the war. He meets the al-Doqi family at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
Sisters Hanan and Misk came there one night in early September, when their house was hit in an Israeli airstrike. Their mother then died and their father was badly injured.
Daily amputations
– Cases requiring amputation arrive daily, about ten per day to the various hospitals in Gaza, says doctor Mohamed Wael Shaheen, and states that many patients have already lost arms or legs when they arrive at the hospitals.
Amputations and severe limb injuries now make up the largest proportion of rehabilitation needs in Gaza. Hanan al-Doqi and her one-year-younger sister Misk are two of between 13 and 20,000 with similar injuries, according to a new compilation from the World Health Organization.
Refuses to eat
Shiffa al-Doqi worries about how she will be able to take care of the girls, when the lack of medicine and aids is so dire. The eldest sister suffered damage to internal organs and has infections in the wounds.
– The male refuses to eat and has a fever, but we can’t find a fever-reducing medicine, she says.
With a healthcare system in shambles, there is a shortage of everything – from painkillers to staff.
– There is a great lack of equipment, even the simplest things like sterile gauze pads and saline, which we need to clean wounds, says doctor Mohamed Wael Shaheen.
Rehabilitation becomes more difficult
Gaza’s only clinic for advanced orthopedic surgery is closed, making rehabilitation difficult. Crutches and wheelchairs are in short supply and protest production is down.
Shifa Al-Dokki worries about what will happen when the family can no longer carry the girls. What she wishes most right now is for the girls to be able to be evacuated from Gaza, so that they can get the help they need.
– My message to the world is – show us mercy. That’s enough now.