A house bombing, a dead infant and 2 children severely injured: Palestinian mother reflects on impacts of Israel-Hamas war

PHILADELPHIA(KYW Newsradio) — After Oct. 7, 2023 , Palestinians like Amna Sultan were living in fear as Israeli strikes flattened Gaza in retribution for a surprise attack by Hamas.

“Before October 7th, although life was difficult, it was bearable, they were living well,” said Amna Sultan, speaking to KYW through a translator. “After Oct. 7th, it was a nightmare.”

On Dec. 21, Sultan’s nightmare became a reality. Her house, north of Gaza City, was destroyed by an Israeli bomb. The family hid for two days before making their way to Al Shifa hospital, where her 12-day-old baby Faris died.

Now in America, Sultan’s two youngest are being treated for massive leg wounds at Shriners Children’s here in Philadelphia. Her family is one of 21 who have been granted Visas for medical treatment in America through the work of HEAL Palestine, a nonprofit that, among many other things, helps Palestinian children get medical aid and community support. One other child is being treated at Shriners as well. The others are spread across the US.

Sultan’s 5-year-old son Elias is learning to live with a prosthetic leg. He needs his mother’s attention often.

“There is no joy, there is no life, he is just living it,” Sultan said of her young son.

Her 3-year-old Talim has one leg covered in a cast. The other has indentations in the shin and bone and is missing sections of muscle.

“She is no longer experiencing the normal life of a child, playing on swing, playing with her friends, running around,” Sultan said.

Sultan hopes the doctors at Shriners can save Talim’s legs.

Steve Sosebee is the founder of HEAL Palestine — HEAL referring to health, education, aid and leadership.

In the past 30 years, Sosebee says they have been able to bring 2,000 kids to America for treatment, not just medically, but holistically.

“We have to rebuild the lives of these children who've been so traumatized, who've been orphaned, who've been permanently injured, permanently disabled,” Sosebee said. “We want to give them a future. … And that's a huge, huge undertaking because the scale of the need is so immense. There's literally tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of permanently injured and disabled children in Gaza.”

While Sultan says she is grateful for the help they are getting, her hope is to one day go home, even if that home will never be the same again.

Since Israel began to counter a Hamas attack in October 2023, health officials in Gaza say more than 95,000 Palestinians have been wounded or maimed and nearly all medical facilities destroyed.