Abdullah Ahmed Yassin… survived from beneath the rubble, and still needs a chance for treatment

How can a father describe what his child went through, after he slept beside his mother, then found himself without her and without his siblings? With this pain, Abdullah Ahmed Yassin’s father begins telling the story of his son; a child who survived from beneath the ruins of his home in Gaza, but emerged into a life in which his loved ones were gone, and in which his need for treatment became another burden he faces with his father.

On October 27, 2023, the family home was hit. Abdullah remained under the rubble for hours until civil defense teams were able to pull him out. His survival was a turning point, but it carried a painful truth: he lost his mother and siblings, and for his father, he remained the only child from his family who survived the attack on the home.

Abdullah came out from beneath the rubble, but the effects of what happened did not end with his rescue. There is a loss that is hard for a child to comprehend, a need for care and treatment, and a father trying to stand by his son while he himself also faces the pain of losing his family.

A father who wishes he could give his son part of his soul

In his testimony, Abdullah’s father cannot describe the feeling of a child who no longer finds his mother and siblings by his side. Words stop in the face of the magnitude of absence, and in the face of a reality the father cannot change no matter how hard he tries. But he holds on to what he can do: care for his son, work to secure his treatment, and look for someone who will extend a helping hand to them.

He expresses this in words that capture his love and his helplessness in the face of suffering; he wishes he could give his son part of his soul. It is the wish of a father who wants to ease any pain for his child, but he is confronted by costs he does not know how to cover.

According to his father’s testimony, Abdullah needs a surgical operation, and the expenses of the operation and treatment are a burden beyond his ability to cover. Between the need to care for his child and the difficulty of providing the money, he finds himself facing a heavy question: how can he get his son to the treatment he needs?

The cost of treatment… an added burden to loss

When a child needs surgery, the ability to cover its cost becomes a crucial part of the journey of caring for him. For Abdullah’s father, securing the expenses of the operation and treatment is the focus of the appeal he makes to everyone who can help.

The father does not ask for what he has lost to be restored, and he knows that no one can do that. But he hopes to find support that will help him care for his son, and for Abdullah to have a chance to receive the medical care he needs, without the cost remaining an obstacle between him and it.

The video shows moments in which Abdullah sits beside his father, and others in which he holds a pen and draws. Simple details remind us that behind this story there is a child who still has the right to learn, play, and be cared for, and to find around him those who support him so he can continue his life with dignity. What he has lived through should not obscure his childhood, or reduce his needs to a memory of surviving the rubble.

An appeal that extends to the children of Gaza

Despite his own pain, Abdullah’s father does not limit his appeal to his son. He also speaks about other children who need surgical operations, and about families living through harsh conditions whose weight is felt only by those who face them day after day.

It is a father’s appeal, one who knows what it means to see his child in need of treatment and not know how to secure the cost. That is why he asks those who are able to look at the suffering of children and families through a humanitarian lens, and to be a support to them at a time when their need for backing has become so great.

Abdullah is one of those children whose needs continue after the moment of rescue. Survival needs to be followed by care, injury needs treatment, and a child who has lost loved ones needs safety, attention, and support to continue life with dignity.

Be part of their care journey

With your contribution to Medics, you can support efforts to help Abdullah and other children and wounded people in Gaza, and help provide surgical operations, treatment, and medical care for those who need them.

A donation will not erase the pain of loss, but it can ease the burden of treatment, support a father striving to care for his child, and give a family tangible support at a time when it needs it.

Abdullah survived from beneath the rubble, and ahead of him is still a life that deserves care, and a childhood that deserves to find someone who protects its right to treatment and safety.

Donate today to help Abdullah and the other wounded children in Gaza .. contribute with us to writing a different ending for them.