Of the group of 30 Brazilians awaiting authorization to leave the Gaza Strip, half are children who have been following the escalation of the conflict between Israel and the radical group Hamas with their families. Amid the tension, parents report the fear and crying of their children who, although still very young, are already feeling the effects of the war.
Parents of Aileen, 7 months old, Ramadan Abdou and his wife Haya live in São Paulo. They were in an area called Al-Nasr, in the Gaza Strip, visiting family when the war broke out. The neighborhood where they were staying was attacked and the house was severely damaged. Like other Brazilians, the family went to Khan Yunis, in the south of Gaza, where they await repatriation.
“My daughter is sick because of fear of missile attacks and because of inhaling gases and smells from explosives,” said Abdou, who received Brazilian medicine, milk and diapers for the child from the government.
Hasan Rabee is the father of two girls. Laureen, 3 years old, and Celina, 5. Without going out on the streets of Khan Yunis due to the risk of attacks, the girls try to distract themselves by looking from the balcony of their house. It is from there, says the father, that they try to make contact with other children.
“The children just stay at the window. They haven’t been out on the street for a long time. They stand at the window shouting, calling the children from other houses. This is what we are living. Is very difficult. When they hear a bomb, they run and close the window,” says Rabee.
The Palestinian naturalized Brazilian in 2019 says that his daughters know they are at war and say they miss São Paulo, where they live in Brazil. “They are scared. They cry and want to go out into the street. They also say they want to go to the Mooca shopping mall, because there are no bombs there”, says the father.
Brazil is prepared to repatriate around 30 people in the Gaza Strip. A Brazilian Air Force plane arrived this Wednesday (18) in Cairo, Egypt, where it is awaiting the moment for the Brazilians to withdraw. The opening of the Rafah crossing, between Gaza and Egypt, depends, however, on an agreement between Israel, Egypt and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
