Osama

My Brother Died in Front of my Eyes

Osama is a nine-year old child living with his family in Beit Hanon, one of the most areas threatened directly by the Israeli army as it is a border area that separates the Gaza Strip from Israel that remains under a constant threat of the Israeli Occupation Forces’ incursion. Despite these dangers, the family preferred to stay in their house, their source of protection and security.

This family owns a modest grocery store operates from a room within the house. Fadi, the eldest son of this family is responsible for this store, which he kept open even during the war. One day, Fadi opened his grocery store as usual. At that time, Osama was at his aunt's house and decided to go home. While going back to his house, he heard the sound of a rocket fired by the Israeli Occupation Forces. The sound was really close which frightened the people in the street including Osama. When Fadi left his store to see where rocket was heading, he was fatally wounded.

During that time, Osama was on his way home, and witnessed all these events including his brother’s death. Osama suffered from a severe state of panic in addition to his slight injury in his back by the shrapnel of the rocket. He entered his house screaming and crying after his brother’s death in front of his eyes. His family was not yet informed of their son’s death, and Osama could not tell them until they went out to the street and saw their son dead. After the end of the war, on Gaza, Osama went back to school like all students did. After a while he started to suffer from some symptoms, a matter which obliged the social worker in his school to intervene. After that, his family was contacted. Then it was decided to transfer him to the Community Centre of Gaza Community Mental Health Programme. After following up Osama’s case, it was discovered that he suffered from a number of symptoms including nervousness, excessive violence towards children, bed wetting, fear triggered by trivial causes, problems with his brothers, continuous crying, and obsessive preoccupation of the scene of his brother’s death. Gaza Community Center's team prepared a therapeutic plan after making necessary medical check-up for him.

The plan included expressive therapy like the therapeutic approach of play therapy, free drawing and psychological debriefing. The therapeutic plan also included following up the family, especially the mother who was suffering from depression after the loss of her elder son, Fadi and being unable to deal with this trauma. The family needed therapeutic intervention and psychological support after the latest events in Gaza and the psychological impacts of them taking into consideration the necessity of enhancing the social support network, and working on correcting the negative thoughts.

After intervention and therapeutic sessions, Osama became more open to others. Most of the symptoms that he was suffering from disappeared. He started to play with his friends and brothers and his concentration on his school subjects improved.