Hasan* is a teenage boy. His father describes him as ‘a bright and determined young man – the one who makes sure they keep in touch with his sister who lives abroad.’ One day, Hasan was spending time at a coffee shop not too far from the family’s home (just as many teenagers around the world love to do), when an attack in the area changed his life forever.
In Gaza right now, survival has been a daily battle for many. For Hasan, this battle became suddenly all too real when an Israeli drone strike hit nearby the coffee shop where he was.
Hasan was badly injured and his condition was critical. Shrapnel was lodged dangerously close to his heart. He was rushed to hospital for urgent treatment, but the facility was ‘overwhelmed and under-resourced’, as his father describes it, and they were unable to provide the care that Hasan needed.
He was then transferred to another hospital. It was just days before the Israeli ground invasion, and despite the dire circumstances, the doctors fought hard to save him.
Against all odds, the surgeons managed to remove the shrapnel.
Four days after the operation, Hasan was taken home to be cared for by his family. There was no space for him to stay at the hospital any longer. His family struggled to provide the medical supplies he needed to recover, and to take care of the wound and prevent dangerous infection setting in as it healed.
Food and medicine were scarce, and even though Hasan had made it through the operation, his father describes how hope seemed fragile for his beloved son.
When a route opened to the south, the family decided to make the dangerous journey in search of help.
That help came in the form of a wound clinic in Khan Younis, where a shipment of wound dressings had just arrived from Tearfund’s local partner, International Health Partners (IHP).
These supplies have been vital in ensuring Hasan’s continued recovery and in supporting the treatment of many other patients facing similar hardships.
‘The doctors, nurses and staff welcomed us warmly,’ says Hasan’s father. ‘They treated Hasan and continued his wound care for months. We thank IHP for making it possible for families like ours to have a chance to heal.’
