Tragedy strikes
Four-year-old Nour*’s early life has been marked by struggle and immense loss. She lives with disabilities that affect her speech and hearing, and at 18 months old, an Israeli airstrike destroyed the apartment building she lived in – whilst she and her family were inside.
The explosion blew her out of the apartment, and she fell 30 meters down to the street, breaking both her legs. Somehow, she survived. Tragically though, her parents, sister and many members of her extended family were all killed.
“She was the only survivor among 70 people killed,” says her grandfather, Ali* (53), who reached her within hours of the tragedy, and along with his wife, took Nour in as their own. “She has become our daughter … she calls her grandmother Mama, calls me Papa.”
The long road to recovery
Nour was hospitalised for nearly three weeks and received Platinum implants in her broken legs, as well as her arm. She needed regular observation, and so every week for four months, Ali and his wife walked Nour to the hospital. “We used to walk for about three kilometres to get to the hospital because there was no transportation,” Ali says.
The assistive device that enables Nour to walk around.
“She had multiple surgeries, but she still needs more because she has bowed legs and she uses an assistive device for them. She has to wear it.”
Save the Children has been part of Nour’s story from the first months after the airstrike. The family received three rounds of cash assistance so they could prioritise her needs, along with milk and nappies when she was very young, and a tent to live in, since both her and her grandparents’ homes were destroyed.
“Thank God! She’s getting better,” says Ali.
Restoring hope through play
The physical rehabilitation is only part of Nour’s healing journey: the psychological toll is also significant. “If you ask her where they have gone,” Ali says of Nour’s parents, “She’d say ‘to heaven’. She knows what happened, but she has adapted to the reality.”
Now four-years-old, Nour attends nursery-level classes at a Save the Children-supported child-friendly space, where she receives early education as well as mental health and psychosocial support designed to help children cope, play, learn, and feel safe again.
Nour uses artistic expression to help her process her complicated emotions.
“She joined the nursery group at Save the Children, where she’s happy and comes regularly,” says Ali. “She loves arts and drawing, and her brain is healthy … If you ask her, she can count to ten in English and Arabic. She knows all the colours in English and in Arabic.”
A brighter future
Ali lives with his own health challenges, including the loss of one eye and significant vision loss in the other, as well as diabetes – for which he no longer has access to his necessary medicine. Despite all this, his focus remains firmly on Nour’s future: “I am hoping for medicine for her, then education,” he says. “I will always support her to get the best possible education.”
Thanks to our supporters, Save the Children has helped establish 26 centres like the one Nour visits, ensuring many more children have access to the same resources. And together with our partners, we are delivering life-saving services across the occupied Palestinian territories, ensuring families receive the healthcare, education, cash assistance, child protection, water and sanitation services they require.
Thanks to the love of her family, the support of Save the Children and our kind donors, and her own unbreakable spirit, Nour has the chance to create a future that isn’t defined by what she has lost, but by all the possibilities still ahead of her.
*Names changed to protect identities.
Photos: Shurouq Alaila/ Save the Children.