On 30 Aug 2023, the Ministry of Education in Gaza received the wounded child Sarah Al-Mutrabi’, 6, and provided her with the appropriate environment and resources to study with her peers, first-grade Palestinian students at Mustafa Hafez Basic School, west of Gaza.
When Sarah was 4 years old, she was hit by shrapnel over her entire body from an Israeli missile during the 2021 aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Sarah was taken to hospital immediately after she was pulled from under the rubble of her home. Unfortunately, Sarah was discharged from the intensive care unit after only five days and cannot move her feet or play again as before because of a back injury and shrapnel in her spine. She lost the ability to move and walk.
Sarah, however, did not give up and did not lose hope. She defied all obstacles and returned to school, excelled in her studies, and earned a certificate.
Sarah’s father Zaher Al-Mutrabi’i said, “My daughter, Sarah Al-Mutrabi’i, was injured in the Israeli aggression on Gaza on May 14, 2021, and the bombing took place without prior notice or warning, as my daughter Sarah was eating at home. So she was surprised when a missile fell on her and caused her severe injury to her spine.”
Sarah’s father explains that she remains in urgent need of treatment abroad in order to ensure her right to walk upright like all other children.
“My name is Sarah. I am six years old,” said this incredible girl. “The Israeli occupation warplane bombed our apartment above us, and I was injured. Now I sit in a wheelchair, but I go to school. In the future, I will become a dentist.”
Osama Murtaji, a writer and political activist said, “The Israeli occupation authorities are still practicing many aggressive measures against the children of Palestine. There were many child martyrs during 2022 and before, and there remain 180 children in Israeli prisons under the age of 18.”
Reported by: Esraa Abu Khader
Edited by: Lawrence Maushard
