‘Between pain and fear’: Gaza children bear cost of ongoing Israeli attacks

Gaza City, Palestine – Seven-year-old Hala Lubbad lies on her bed in al-Shifa Hospital, her small body weighed down by her injuries. “Where is my mother? Where is my father?” she repeats, to no answer. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list The child’s 42-year-old policeman father and 40-year-old teacher mother, along with two of her siblings aged 10 and 17 – were killed in the early hours of June 2 when an Israeli attack hit the family home in Gaza City and sparked a fire. The Palestinian girl’s aunt, Haneen Lubbad, who now cares for her, says it happened when everyone was sleeping. “Hala was there among them … she was the only one who survived, along with her brother Mohammed, 16 years old,” says Haneen. “The rest are gone,” adds the 28-year-old, tears filling her eyes. Nearly two weeks later, Hala, who suffered severe burns in the fire, still does not have a clear understanding of what happened, only scattered memories. Speaking quietly, Haneen says that doctors and psychologists have advised the family to be careful in how to tell her that her parents and siblings are no longer alive. “If she hears it all at once, she may collapse,” she adds. But the truth still seeps through the cracks of daily life. “She asks about them every day,” says Haneen. “She cries constantly. She says: ‘I want my mother, I want my father. I want to talk to them.’ She wants their pictures … she keeps asking why they don’t visit her anymore,” adds the aunt. …