RAFIF ESLEEM

Gaza- “We stayed in a tent in the southern Gaza Strip for about one and a half years. Following the ceasefire, we decided to return home. People from all ages were very happy. However, Israel resumed its attacks. My 4-year-old cousin was killed and I lost one of my legs in an Israeli airstrike.”

Sabreen Al-Khairy is one of the Palestinian women, who have lost their relatives and injured in Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

‘There is no medication other than painkillers’

Sabreen Al-Khairy was transferred to a hospital and underwent complex surgeries after being injured. She should go abroad for treatment; however, she has to stay in the Gaza Strip due to the siege imposed by Israel. “I feel unbearable pain, as if thousands of volts of electricity are applied to my body. There is no medication other than painkillers.”

Sabreen Al-Khairy is very scared of the constant sounds of bombings and fighter jets. “Whenever I hear these sounds, I feel like I'm going to die. Israeli forces now issue evacuation orders twice a week across the Gaza Strip. There are dozens of patients like me and forcing them to go to another place will have serious negative consequences. Israeli forces order civilians to leave hospitals and centers in order to leave them an unknown fate of hunger, poverty and tents.”

‘I believe the future will be better’

Before Israel resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip, Sabreen Al-Khairy had planned her wedding. “Before the attacks, I went shopping with my  fiancée. However, I lost my leg in an Israeli airstrike on March 18,” said Sabreen Al-Khairy, who wishes to walk again. “Despite all the suffering, I still believe the future will be better.”