Unexploded ordnance from Israeli war costs 7-year-old Gazan child his sight

GAZA CITY, Palestine / ISTANBUL

An exploded ordnance left over by the Israeli army in the northern Gaza town of Jabalia has changed the life of Palestinian child Mohamed Hegazy forever.

The 7-year-old was playing outside his destroyed home when he grabbed a leftover device out of curiosity, which immediately exploded, costing him his right eye.

He is also threatened to lose his left eye if he is not evacuated for medical treatment outside the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

“I was playing with other children when a grenade exploded in my face,” Mohamed told Anadolu in a voice filled with pain.

Immediately, his father rushed him to a hospital where he underwent surgery to remove his right eye.

“He was like any child who went out to play outside our destroyed house when we heard an explosion all of a sudden and found him covered in blood,” his father, Khaled Hegazy, recalled.

"We quickly rushed him to a hospital, but due to a shortage of medicine and equipment, we had to transfer him to another hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove his right eye. His condition remains critical."

The Palestinian father said that his son needs what he described as a “medical miracle” to save his left eye.

“If he is not transferred for treatment outside Gaza soon, my son will also lose sight in his other eye,” he said.

Life changed

The helpless father said that his son can no longer play or study.

“He is having difficulty interacting with people around him due to his blindness and the psychological trauma he suffers,” he said.

“Since the explosion, he has been terrified by the sounds of shelling, especially at night,” Khaled said, fighting his tears.

“My son’s psychological state is worsening. He is constantly clinging to me and afraid to be separated from me, even for a moment."

The Palestinian father appealed to the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international human rights and medical organizations to expedite his son’s transfer for medical treatment abroad before he completely loses his sight.

“I hope to see him seeing with his left eye again and returning to his normal life, playing, relying on himself like any child.”

On March 2, Israel closed all borders of the Gaza Strip, preventing the entry of any humanitarian aid and medical equipment into the enclave, in a move that has caused an unprecedented deterioration in humanitarian conditions.

There are no estimates about the number of Palestinians killed or injured in the explosions of ordnance left over by the Israeli army in Gaza.

According to figures released by Gaza’s government media office, at least 38 hospitals were destroyed or burned by the Israeli army since October 2023, leaving them completely dysfunctional amid a severe shortage of medicines and medical equipment.

The Israeli attacks also took 81 health centers out of service, in addition to the destruction of 164 other medical institutions.

The Israeli army resumed its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on March 18, abandoning a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January. It has killed more than 51,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.