An Irish-based orthopaedic surgeon who lost four family members in a recent air strike in Gaza says his sister, who was seriously injured in the attack is out of danger but in severe pain due to the shortage of medical supplies.
Dr Mahmoud Abumarzouq says his sister, Seham, has been moved from intensive care and is slowly recovering from her injuries, which include a broken back bone, broken pelvis, skull fracture and a broken arm bone.
Unfortunately, he says, an acute shortage of medical supplies means she has no pain relief available to her and there are no compression plates at the hospital to carry out reconstructive surgery on her arm.
Dr Abumarzouq’s five-day grandniece, who was pulled from the rubble that killed her mother as well as her aunt and two young uncles, is also out of intensive care and recovering well.
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[ Irish-based surgeon loses four family members in Israeli air strike on GazaOpens in new window ]
Seham has not been told directly of the deaths of four of her children but Dr Abumarzouq says she has heard there were no other survivors as she was being pulled from the bombed home of her in-laws in South Rafah, where she was staying.
Her husband, Osama, was killed in a missile attack last year and this week’s air strike killed all of his remaining family, apart from two of his children who were safe elsewhere.
Monday’s attacks killed Seham’s sons, Mohamed (16) and Refat (15), as well as her daughters, Dinna and Noor, who had just given birth to her baby girl, Yaqout. Their bodies were buried by their grandfather, who now walks a more than 14km round trip every day to the hospital to visit his daughter.
“Seham is out of intensive care but in severe pain,” said Dr Abumarzouq, who is based at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan, Co Meath.
“There is not enough pain relief at the hospital for her and she needs a pin and a plate in her arm, but there are none. There is no medical aid getting across the border.
“She is panicking and calling for help every time she hears a bomb. The psychological impact on her is very severe.”
Dr Abumarzouq believes Seham is aware of her children’s deaths but she has not been told directly by her family of their fates. He believes Yaqout will be raised by his family, once released from hospital.
“She keeps asking for her children. She was conscious when she was pulled out of the rubble and overheard rescuers saying that she was the only adult survivor but no one has actually told her yet. She is not able to hear that news.
“She knows Yaqout is fine and has pledged to be her ‘everything’.”
He says his family are going through an “incomprehensible horror”.
“My dad is in his 70s and he had to bury his grandchildren. Imagine that. He doesn’t know what to say to Seham when he visits every day.
“I feel helpless. My four kids, who only met their cousins for the first time two years ago, are devastated.
“I’m in Ireland and I’m only one of the many Palestinians who are heartbroken and grieving at this time in countries where we are safe but our families are in a real-time hell.”
