The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip transformed Mohammed Hajila’s childhood into a daily ordeal of pain after he suffered severe burns that left scars disfiguring his face and body.
His mother, Ghadeer, told Al Jazeera Mubasher how Mohammed survived a bombing that targeted the Mustafa Hafez School in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, in the middle of last year. However, he spent a long period in medical care following his injuries.
She indicated that Mohammed still requires ongoing treatment to alleviate the effects of the burns, particularly on his face.
After the initial treatment phases, Mohammed began experiencing the appearance of scar tissue, a complication of the burns. This necessitated the creation of a special plastic mask for his face within the Gaza Strip, the components of which were painstakingly gathered due to limited resources.
His mother explained that her son is now forced to wear the mask for about 20 hours a day to prevent his condition from worsening, despite the harsh reality of living with it. “The war disfigured my child’s face and body, and broke our hearts,” she added. “But despite all the difficulties, we haven’t stopped searching for an opportunity to treat him outside Gaza before it’s too late,” she explained, due to the lack of specialized treatment methods in the Strip, especially the reconstructive surgeries necessary for his condition.
The mother doesn’t hide her fear of losing the chance to save her child if he can’t travel for treatment, or if medical support stops, especially given the concern that some international organizations might close their offices in Gaza because of recent Israeli measures.
And so, today, Mohammed stands between a mask that protects him from the complications of his burns and a hope that remains pinned on a window of treatment that will restore some of the childhood features stolen from him by the war.
