Charity makes dreams come true for injured Gazan children

By Wafa Issa,

Dubai: Under occupation they were born, under occupation they live, and because of the occupation they were injured and cannot find sufficient medical services back in Gaza to cure their illnesses. Sa'ad Qandeel, 11 years old, has multiple shrapnel injuries from a bomb, Gada Awad, 6 years old, has a foot deformity, 16-year-old Khalil Qahman has lost a hand, and Orouba Ashour, 16, has lost an eye. High price They are just four of the many Palestinian children who have paid a high price for the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. For these four, Dubai is a glimmer of hope. They are receiving free medical treatment in the city's hospitals through a joint project between the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment and the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF). Suhair, Gada's mother, said that the medical situation in the occupied territories is going from bad to worse and people with illness are battling to receive treatment. Nadia Wehbe, spokesperson and medical liaison for PCRF, told Gulf News that these children are the first of many who will receive treatment "The [Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity] Establishment has played a key role for in being able to bring over such a big number of children at the same time. Earlier we could only lend a hand to those who had relatives in the UAE but with the establishment aid this has changed and we hope to provide assistance for a bigger number in the future," said Wehbe. The children, who arrived in Dubai on January 23, are looking forward to their stay but are haunted by the harsh reality of the occupation. Hopes Orouba, who will be fitted with a prosthetic eye, said that one of her dreams is about to come through. "Since I lost my eye at the age of three I wanted to look like other children but so far it has not been possible. But now there is hope," she said adding that she her ultimate dream is that all the Palestinian children will be able to live and play in peace like other children across the world.