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world news Diahuebs 20 Mei 2021

Gaza children bearing the brunt in Israel-Hamas conflict

(AP) — Suzy Ishkontana live squeezed into a tight ur-
hardly speaks or eats. It’s ban fabric.
been two days since the
7-year-old girl was pulled Videos on social media from
from the rubble of what Gaza have shown the grief
was once her family’s of survivors from families
home, destroyed amid wiped out in an instant.
a barrage of Israeli air-
strikes. She spent hours “They were four! Where are
buried in the wreckage as they? Four!” wailed one fa-
her siblings and mother ther outside a hospital after
died around her. learning all four of his chil-
dren had been killed. An-
Children are being subjected other showed a young boy
to extensive trauma in Israel’s screaming “Baba,” as he ran
bombardment of the Gaza to the front of the funeral
Strip. For some, it’s trau- procession where men were
ma they’ve seen repeatedly carrying his father’s body to
throughout their short lives. burial.

This is the fourth time in The Ishkontana family was
12 years Israel and Gaza’s buried under the rubble of
Hamas rulers have gone to their home early Sunday, af-
war. Each time, Israel has un- ter massive bombing raids
leashed heavy airstrikes at the of downtown Gaza City that oldest of his three daughters Hamas tunnels running un- helping children deal with
densely populated Gaza Strip Israel said were targeting a and two sons, and the only der Gaza City, the Israeli trauma — a sign of how chil-
as it vows to stop Hamas Hamas tunnel network. The survivor. military said. The warplanes dren repeatedly are victim-
rocket barrages launched to- strikes came without warn- pounded al-Wahda Street, ized by the violence. Among
ward Israel. ing. Though she had only limited one of the city’s busiest them was 8-year-old Dana,
physical bruising from her commercial avenues, lined Suzy’s sister.
According to Gaza health of- Riad Ishkontana recounted seven hours under the rub- with apartment buildings
ficials, at least 63 children are to The Associated Press how ble, the young girl was in “se- with stores, bakeries, cafes “It’s the fourth time for
among the 217 Palestinians he was buried for five hours vere trauma and shock,” said and electronics shops on the many of them to experience”
who have been killed in Gaza under the wreckage, pinned pediatrician Dr. Zuhair Al- ground floors. bombardment around their
since the latest conflict be- under a chunk of concrete, Jaro. The hospital was unable homes, said Hozayfa Yazji,
tween Israel and Hamas be- unable to reach his wife and to get her the psychological Three buildings collapsed, the refugee council area field
gan on May 10. On the Israeli five children. treatment she needs because and multiple people from manager.
side, 12 people have been of the ongoing fighting, he at least three families were
killed by Hamas rockets, all “I was listening to their voic- said. killed. In all 42 people died, Parents in Gaza desperately
but one of them civilians, in- es beneath the rubble. I heard including 10 children and 16 try to calm their terrified chil-
cluding a 5-year-old boy. Dana and Zain calling, ‘Dad! “She has entered into a deep women. dren, as bombs rain down,
Dad!’ before their voices fad- depression,” he said. Only to- telling the youngest ones it’s
Israel says it does everything ed and then I realized they day, he said Tuesday, did she Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, just fireworks or trying to put
it can to prevent civilian ca- had died,” he said, referring eat something after she was an Israeli military spokes- up a cheerful front.
sualties, including issuing to two of his children. allowed briefly outside the man, called the situation that
warnings for people to evac- hospital and saw her cousins. led to the deaths “abnormal.” The violence “will of course
uate buildings about to be After he was rescued and He said in one location the affect the psychology of these
struck. As Hamas has fired taken to the hospital, he said, As her father spoke to the airstrikes caused a tunnel kids,” he said. “We are ex-
hundreds of rockets into Is- family and staff hid the truth AP, Suzy sat on the bed next to collapse, bringing hous- pecting that ... the situation
rael, most of them intercept- from him as long as they to him, silent and studying es down with it, “and that will be much worse and more
ed by anti-missile defenses, could. “I learned about their the faces of the people in the caused a large amount of ci- children will need more sup-
Israel’s military has pounded deaths one after another,” room but rarely making eye vilian casualties, which were port.”
hundreds of sites in Gaza, he said. Finally, Suzy was contact. When asked what not the aim.”
where some 2 million people brought in alive, the second- she wanted to be when she The refugee council works
grew up, she turned away. He said the military was ana- with 118 schools in Gaza,
When her father started to lyzing what happened and reaching more than 75,000
answer for her, saying she “attempting to recalibrate” its students through its Better
wanted to become a doctor, ordnance to prevent a reoc- Learning Program. The pro-
the girl began sobbing loudly. currence. gram trains teachers to deal
with traumatized children
Ishkontana, 42, who recently He said the bombing cam- and organizes fun exercises
stopped working as a waiter paign targeting tunnel net- to relieve stress. It also does
because of coronavirus lock- works would be expanded to home-checks on children to
downs, said Suzy is smart and more areas of Gaza and that provide help.
tech-savvy and loves smart- the military tries when possi-
phones and tablets. “She ex- ble to hit tunnels under roads The council’s secretary-
plores them, she has more rather than under houses. general, Jan Egeland, called
experience dealing with them for an immediate cease-fire,
than I do,” he said. She also Israel and Hamas have fought saying, “Spare these chil-
loves studying and would similar conflicts in 2009, 2012 dren and their families. Stop
gather all her siblings into a and 2014, each time wreaking bombing them now.”
play “class,” taking the role of heavy destruction
their teacher, he said. But he said, longer term, an
The Norwegian Refugee end to the blockade on Gaza
The Ishkontanas were just Council said that 11 of the and occupation of Palestinian
one family destroyed that day. children killed so far in this territory is necessary “if we
war had been going through are to avoid more trauma and
The strikes Sunday targeted its psycho-social programs death among children.