Children Evacuated from Gaza Confront New Reality in Italy

Sixteen children, evacuated from Gaza due to war injuries, navigate their new lives in Italy amidst uncertainty and language barriers.

 

In a summer camp in Italy, six-year-old Shaymaa Shady found herself surrounded by curious children asking her about her leg. One child innocently remarked, “Ha fatto la guerra,” meaning “She went to war.” Shaymaa, along with 15 other young evacuees from Gaza, was urgently transported to Italy earlier this year to receive much-needed medical care after suffering serious injuries during the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Among the group is Sarah Yusuf, whose pelvis was shattered in an Israeli airstrike, leaving her able to join in play without the limp that haunted her before. Four-year-old Ahmad al-Saafen is on a journey of learning to use his new leg, a replacement for the one lost under bombardment over a year ago. Baian Azoum, also just four, was rescued from the ruins of Gaza but now faces nearly two years of medical treatment in a country she does not know.

These children, mostly younger than 15, were evacuated after tireless negotiations between international aid organizations and governments, including those of Israel, Egypt, and Italy. Each child was accompanied by a relative who acts as their caretaker. Many of the evacuees have undergone amputations, yet they carry the hope of survival, even as they grapple with the trauma of their pasts — each has lost family members, with uncertainty looming over the fate of loved ones they left behind.

Lina Gamal, Shaymaa’s aunt and caretaker, voiced her struggles, stating, “Italy is beautiful, but I need support,” as she reminisced about the family members she had to leave in Gaza. “As long as I have no one around me, it’s nothing.” Despite their circumstances, the children recognize their fortune; since Hamas initiated an unprecedented assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, over 40,000 Palestinians have died according to the Gaza health ministry, with thousands more facing permanent disabilities in a region that continues to face devastation.

The young survivors now grapple with not only physical recovery but also the emotional challenges of integrating into school environments filled with peers who may not speak their language or understand the violence they fled from.