After having both legs amputated following an Israeli bombing in Gaza a year ago, young Layane Al Nasr didn’t think she would ever be able to walk again. Today she stands proud on her artificial limbs, but anxiety gnaws at her.
The 14-year-old is one of more than 2,000 injured or ill Palestinians welcomed with their loved ones to the United Arab Emirates since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas triggered by an attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7, 2023 on Israeli soil.
“When they told me about prosthetics when I arrived, I didn’t even know they existed,” she says, taking a few steps, supported by crutches.
With a smile on his face, he tells the story of the operations, rehabilitation and newfound hope. But in the end the emotion caught up with her.
“What scares me today is losing my brothers, my sisters and my father,” she said, breaking down in tears.
In retaliation for the October 7 attack, which left more than 1,200 people dead on the Israeli side according to a count based on official data, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that left more than 45,400 dead and more than 100,000 wounded , according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.
“I don’t care what happens to me, the important thing is that nothing happens to them,” repeats Layane Al Nasr.
Like her, most survivors are haunted by memories of the war and the fear of losing those they left behind.
Suspended lives
The maimed Palestinians arrived in the UAE in small groups during humanitarian evacuations in recent months. They are staying at Emirates Humanitarian City, a residential complex in Abu Dhabi, which includes a food service, a school, a mosque and a health centre.
“Thanks to the prostheses and the care provided, the patients have regained their autonomy,” says physiotherapist Moustafa Ahmed Naji Awad.
But the hardest thing to deal with, he admits, is the psychological impact.
Faten Abu Khoussa, who came with her 10-year-old daughter, Qamar, can attest to this.
The girl, who found herself under bombs while going to buy a packet of crisps in Gaza, lost a leg. Although Qamar has regained some of his zest for life, his mother says “it’s still very difficult, she who loved nothing more than playing on her scooter.”
And “she feels alone without her brothers and sisters”, who have taken refuge in Egypt.
Separated from some of her children who she raised alone after her husband’s death, Faten Abu Khoussa is desperately trying to bring them to the Emirates. In the meantime she feels “as if suspended”, unable to project herself into the future.
Emirati authorities say these Palestinians will be asked to return home when conditions allow.
Ahmad Mazen, 15, who came with his mother, was due to be reunited with his father and brother after having a tibial prosthesis. But shortly after arriving, he learned that they had been killed in a bombing.
His only consolation: football, his passion, which he is slowly starting to play again, and this “indescribable feeling” of being able to shoot a ball again.