Nothing is left for you Huda…they didn't leave you with anything…they all left…they all died on the sand of the beach…they bled on the beach till it became more red than your lips…they all bled, Huda…bled for an hour and rested in peace…you remained to suffer all the pains of their loss…you remained to live in grieve and agony.

Oh Huda…tell us what happened…tell us about your last hour…last moments with them before they rested…the moments of your final joyful moments…

Huda (11-years-old living in Beit Lahia in North Gaza) started to tell her story:
"We didn't intend to visit the beach, nor did we plan to go on a trip. However, my brother in law and his family visited us and suggested going to the beach. My sister, Sabrin, said "Dad, we wish to go to the beach" after the family pressure, my father accepted to take us. Together with my young brothers and sisters, I ran to the street to the car that would take us to the beach because we wanted to play and enjoy the sand and swimming in the beach…I was so tired, so I could not beat my siblings to the car…we all drove in the car towards the beach and started to search for a quiet and a safe place get into the car and went looking for a suitable place at the sea shore…

I was so glad at the beach…we played, ran at the shore, and enjoyed swimming…the sea was quiet and joyful... there were no problems…and we swam for an hour…but, suddenly, the Israeli forces started shelling randomly at the beach…".

It seems that the Israeli soldiers were not happy to see little kids playing freely at the beach. They targeted people with their fire and shelling.

Huda, the entire world witnessed your photo and heard your screams, the world trembled for you. What else can you tell us about your story?

Huda continues: "right after the first missile, people escaped. At that point, my father phoned the taxi driver to come and pick us up. We sat in two groups, the girls in one side, and my father and my brother and brother in law in another side.
Huda couldn't proceed to talk due to the intense feelings she had. After calming her; she continued "I was covering myself with a towel because I was swimming…then, the second missile fall". Huda paused again with tears in her eyes, and resumed saying "I was sitting with the whole family; Sabrin, Haitham, Amany, Mum, and Dad. Then all of the sudden, I saw people cut into pieces around me…I couldn't believe my eyes… I didn't know who were the killed around me…at that moment, I went screaming towards the street searching for my family. Then …to my surprise, all the bodies were my family's…"

All your beloved ones abandoned you Huda…you remained alone Huda…you remained at the beach planted in its sand… calling for the lost ones… it is me here…
I am still here…I am still holding the bell and lightening the lamp… please return, my lost ones…come back to me…the beach is so wide open for you despite the crowd…it is wide despite the blood and the red sand…come back, I am still opening my arms to embrace you all. I am removing the sand of my lips preparing to kiss you the returnees…my family.

Huda resumes saying:
"As I was searching among the dead bodies, I found my father lying on the sand of the beach. At that point, I screamed…Dad…Dad…till the rescuers approached near me…I was staring at my Dad "at this moment, Huda was very tearful!

She continued in a sad voice:
"When I saw my dad in this state, I was terrified and felt nausea. At that point, and after they had carried him and us by the ambulance to the Kamal Edwan Martyr Hospital… I was injured in my foot, and they wrapped it for me… and I was released out of the hospital by the night… they were all, my mother and brothers in a crucial position… I knew that my father, my mother in law, and my sisters Alya' 24 years, Alham 15 years, Sabrin (4 years), Hanadi (1.5 years), and my brother Haytham (4 months) died."

As part of GCMHP's continued work with traumatized individuals who are affected as a result of Israeli violence and continued military actions in Gaza Strip and particularly the Northern area, we, visited Huda Ghalia's home.

After a clinical session with Huda, we found that she suffers from continuous flashbacks and nightmares of the incident and the terrible images she witnessed. She specifically remembers; her father's death, her brothers' lost limbs, her sister's amputated arm, and the red sand and blood all over the place on the beach. She is terrified of returning to the beach, avoids things that remind her of the tragedy of her family. Huda can hardly sleep…she can not concentrate well, became easily provoked, feels alert, and always on edge anticipating bad things to happen. In addition, Huda occasionally suffers from headaches, particularly when she remembers her father's death.
Debriefing sessions were conducted for Huda of the incident that happened to her. A treatment Programme was prepared to enable her to recover of the PTSD. Moreover, debriefing sessions were done with some of the family members of Huda in order to reduce their suffering of the loss of the family members.

By: Ismael Ahmed, a Mental Health Worker
Gaza Community Mental Health Programme