Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip – Within the busy courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip, psychologist Mohamed Abushawish has carved a space to provide early psychological assistance to children seeking refuge there.
Beneath Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza, Abushawish provides activities for the children in the hospital’s hallways and open spaces.
Since the first days of the war, about 300 families have sought shelter in the hospital. Numbers have steadily increased following orders from the Israeli authorities for residents of Gaza City in the north to relocate to the southern side of the Strip.
Timidly, the children tentatively join an active circle organised by Abushawish, who gently invites them to come in.
Among them, 10-year-old Hamsa Irshi, with a bright smile, claps along with the other children in the circle. She recounted to Al Jazeera the story of her family’s departure from their home in the al-Daraj neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City.
“Last Friday, my mother and three siblings accompanied me to my uncle’s house in Deir el-Balah,” she said. “However, that same night, Israeli air raids targeted my uncle’s house, killing their entire family.”
Link from www.aljazeera.com