RAFIF ESLEEM

Gaza- On May 9, 2023, Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza, claiming that they targeted the leaders of the militant group Islamic Jihad. At least 33 Palestinians have been killed and 93 Palestinians have been injured in the Israeli attacks. Israeli bombs and shells have destroyed 47 homes and badly damaged a further 19, leaving 165 Palestinians homeless, according to Gaza’s housing ministry.

 The house of Najah Nabha, mother of four with special needs, is one of the destroyed houses. She told NuJINHA what happened when Israeli forces launched the attacks. Najah Nabhan received a phone call from an unknown person on the night of the attacks on her house. The person told her to evacuate her house.

“I rushed out of the house to ask for help from the neighbors, while I was screaming for help, the bombardment started. I could save my children; however, I was in fear and forgot to take the medicine of one of my daughters, who suffers from epilepsy. I had bought her medicines just before the attacks. Our house was destroyed in the attacks. This medicine is not available in pharmacies. When my daughter does not take this medicine, she loses consciousness for days. I also forgot many devices and wheelchairs.”

Najah Nabha and her four children now live in the house of one of their neighbors. “My children need double care and the prices of their medicines are very expensive. These medicines are not provided by institutions or official agencies. My children need privacy; however, there are many people living in a house. So I need a place to meet the needs of my children.”

‘Our house was destroyed’

 Najah Nabhan now struggles to survive with her daughters Ayat (29), Haneen (16), Areej (18) and her son Jalal (38). In the interview with NuJINHA, she called on the concerned authorities to rebuild her house.

16-year-old Haneen Nabhan lost her wheelchair. “Our house was destroyed. I lost all my memories that we had in our house. I also lost my medicines and my wheelchair, which was like a friend to me. In my dreams, I still live in our house but when I wake up, I realize that our house is in ruin.”

 ‘The suffering of Palestinians never ends’

Mahasin Nabhan, one of the relatives of Najah Nabhan, told us that the attacks started suddenly. “One of my sisters forgot her two-year-old daughter inside the house because she thought her husband had taken with him. One of their neighbors took their daughter out of the house. Israel always launches attacks on the Gaza Strip. For this reason, the suffering of Palestinians never ends. We have to struggle against poverty, diseases and many more,” she told us.

 ‘Children with special needs must be helped’

Palestinian psychologist Rawan al-Najjar told us that psychological support should be provided to Najah Nabhan and her children with special needs, adding, “These persons need support and help; however, they cannot access health services due to the ongoing siege on the city. It is very important to meet the needs of families having children with special needs right now.”

‘Israel must be held accountable’

Jamila Aliwa is an activist defending the rights of people with disabilities in the Gaza Strip. She stresses that Israel violates Articles of the Geneva Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other international conventions protecting the people with disabilities. “Israel must be held accountable for committing crimes against Palestinians.

Jamila Aliwa had previously submitted many complaints to the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights against crimes committed by Israel against people with special needs. “They are people with special needs but they are left homeless now.”