BBCThey are smiling now as they play together in the sand at the al-Mawasi tent camp in southern Gaza, but the children of the Masri family survived the horrific events.
“Their lives were in danger, they were in danger of being killed and destroyed,” said their grandmother, Kawther al-Masri.
An Israeli bomb six weeks ago hit their home in the north of the city of Beit Lahia, killing Jamal’s one-year-old parents and mother and his two younger cousins Maria, Jana and Zeina, aged two to nine. The girls’ father was arrested by Israeli soldiers more than a year ago.
When the children were taken out of the rubble, they were injured alone.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, it is reported that more than 14,500 children have been killed, thousands have been injured and an estimated 17,000 have been left homeless or separated from family members who would normally take care of them.
Some are too young to know their names and are still unknown.
In a critical situation amid bombings and mass displacement, the UN children’s agency, Unicef, has managed to reunite 63 children with their parents or guardians. Last month, the BBC followed the story of four Masri cousins.
“The joy of their return is indescribable, but it is overshadowed by sadness – they returned without their parents,” said Kawther al-Masri.
At first, the news that reached Kawther in mid-November was that all of his loved ones remaining in the family home in northern Gaza had been killed. But he says that after praying, he found out that his three grandchildren are still alive.
He soon realized that he had to bring them to him. “I longed for them,” he explained. “Honestly, I wanted to go to the North to get them, but God’s will is above all.”
For more than a year now, Israel has divided the northern third of the Gaza Strip from the southern two-thirds along the valley line, the Gaza Strip. Aid workers must make special arrangements to cross Israeli military territory through this area.
After Kawther gathered the documents he needed, Unicef conducted its own welfare check and undertook the difficult process of organizing the relocation of the Masri children.
As the four deceased cousins were treated, distant relatives watched over them. Unicef filmed their emotional farewell before taking the children away in armored vehicles.
The short distance from Gaza City to Deir al-Balah where the convoy now goes involves crossing an Israeli checkpoint, takes a long time to drive and can be very dangerous as the war continues. However, Unicef says it is prioritizing the meeting of children.
“The challenges are many,” said Rosalia Bollen, a spokesperson for Unicef. “But here we are talking about very vulnerable children.”
“These are stories of loss – deep psychological trauma and physical trauma and that these children have recovered. The fact that they have been reunited with one or both parents, or a family member, is very important.”
Kawther describes the agonizing wait for the day the children were due to arrive until Unicef finally called. He had not seen his grandchildren for 14 months.
“I didn’t know who to hug first!” It’s exclamation. “The first one I hugged was Jana and then Zeina. I kissed her and hugged her.”
“My son’s children used to call me ‘Kuko’ and although Zeina could not speak the last time I saw her, she knew this was my nickname. She kept asking: ‘Are you Kuko? Are you the one I came here with? ‘ And I told her I was safe.
The story of the Masri family is unusual. They were separated at the beginning of the war.
A week after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel, the Israeli army ordered 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to move south, indicating that they are planning to launch a ground offensive.
Kawther and most of his children quickly packed up and moved to Rafah, but transportation for his two sons, Ramadan and Hamza, was cut off. They ended up staying with their wives – one of whom was pregnant – and young children.
In November 2023, Hamza was arrested by Israeli soldiers in Beit Lahia. His close relatives insist that he and they are apolitical farmers. The BBC was unable to obtain information from the Israeli authorities about what happened to Hamza.
Israel has arrested thousands of Gazans during the war, saying they are suspected of terrorism.
“This is the end of us,” Kawthar tells us sadly. “We lost our homes, our land and our loved ones, and we were divided between the North and the South.”
Since many people are unknown, many turn to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for help. Detailed information is needed and this is checked with sources I can access, such as lists of hospitals and names of returned prisoners.
More than 8,300 cases have been reported to this agency but only about 2,100 have been closed. Of these, only a small number have resulted in family reunification.
“People are in limbo – they don’t know if their family member is alive, if they are injured or in hospital, if they are trapped under the rubble or if they will see them again,” said Sarah Davies of the ICRC.
Doctors and hospital staff are also involved in trying to connect their patients with their loved ones.
Almost a year ago, the BBC filmed a baby being delivered by caesarean section after its mother was killed in an Israeli strike. Doctors have named the little girl as “Hanna Abu Amsha’s daughter” and are keeping information about her in the hope that her relatives can track her down.
Recently, the nursery of Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir al-Balah told us that the child was finally handed over to his father and is doing well.
Days after the Masri family was reunited, a local BBC reporter visited Kawther and his grandchildren in the al-Mawasi displaced persons camp where they were living in a tent. With the help that was lacking, Unicef had given them help to get more food and medicine.
The girls also had warm jackets – some protection from the cold temperatures that have led to many children dying of hypothermia, including in the coastal camp, near the town of Khan Younis.
Although Kawther is comfortable having children, he still does not feel they are safe. He worries about how he will take care of them and their mental health.
He says: “They are shocked. “No matter how much we try to distract the girls and avoid talking about the war, they always wander in their thoughts.”
When it gets dark they get scared. They said: ‘There is a plane, there is a strike.’ They ask me: ‘Is it early?’ and only when morning came, they began to feel confident.
Kawther says he has high hopes that the termination will be over and the grandchildren will be able to rebuild their lives. Not to be part of a lost generation.
Source link
