I was at home with my family. It was a calm day. There were no sounds of airplanes or tanks so we decided to go outside to see the sun. I went to a shop nearby to buy something. When I was back home, people suddenly knocked at the door. I saw the neighbour’s kids in panic. I told them:  What’s going on?  They said:  The Israeli incursion is going on in Al Atatra, get inside of the house! Then, I didn’t understand what happened. I fell off the floor. I think I was unconscious for a few minutes. When I woke up, I saw my own father lying on the floor, bleeding from his legs. But he stood up and lifted me up together with my brother and took me inside. My father went to call for help but nobody was answering. I was down on the floor for half an hour, I was bleeding.

My wife ran to me, screaming and crying. I was telling her: I’ve been hit! I’ve been hit! I’m going to die! At this moment I was just seeing everything in a blur, my view wasn’t very clear anymore. My father and my mother were running around screaming for help but nobody was answering. Then my father came back home, lifted me up and took me in search for help or an ambulance. They brought my brother out too. But no car, no ambulance passed. We were in the street for an hour, an hour and a half.

By chance, a neighbour was going out and saw us. He had a small tractor. He wanted to help us but his mother stopped him, was asking him not to go. He pushed his mother away and she fell down on the floor. The neighbour gathered the seven of us on his small tractor, including my father and me. We were put on top of each other.

We started driving slowly. We crossed a road and reached another road. This is when they opened fire on us. We went back. We started waving a white flag. I found out I had lost a lot of blood. I was taken to Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City. This is where they put me on blood transfusion. Among us five people were hit and one of us died. It was my neighbour.

I was in and out of consciousness but I remember when I was hit by the rocket, I saw my leg almost separated from the rest of my body. My leg was lying on the floor and was just connected by a little piece to my body. Of course at the hospital I was unconscious but when I woke up I saw my leg had been amputated.

Thanks to god, after all, it’s not a big deal. I’m not demoralized by that. Of course when you see other people walking, it is painful but it could have been worse. I’m not going to stay at home. I intend to graduate in geography and I really hope I can get a good job. Insh’Allah.

Related News:

 Gaza: Post-op care reflects nature and intensity of the violence - 17.02.2009 12:54

 Gaza: “Every single inhabitant of Gaza, without exception, has suffered in this war” - 12.02.2009 11:59

 Gaza: Physical and psychological scars - 30.01.2009 13:39

 Gaza: MSF expands surgical activities in Gaza City - 27.01.2009 10:45

 Gaza: MSF medical activities increasing in wake of ceasefire - 20.01.2009 11:30

 Gaza: MSF medical team enters Gaza to reinforce aid operations - 17.01.2009 11:07

 Gaza: Medical personnel unable to enter - 14.01.2009 15:18

 Gaza: health situation worsening for past year - 12.01.2009 10:53

 Gaza update - 10.01.2009 10:48

 Critical care limited, some urgent needs unmet - 05.01.2009 11:25

 Gaza: First Wounded Patients Receive Treatment  - 30.12.2008 16:28