The Tragic Story of Palestinian Sisters
Palestinian sisters Dima Akil (12) and Rima Akil (15) are deeply grieving the loss of six members of their family in the Israeli army’s devastating missile attack on Nusayrat Camp on July 12. Dima and Rima, who suffered third-degree burns and multiple fractures on their bodies, continue to receive treatment at the Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Although nearly a month has passed since that terrible event, their eyes still bear the scars and the impact of that terrible night.
The sisters described how the missile that hit their home that evening turned their lives upside down. Describing that night as “the most difficult day,” Dima said, “I was performing ablution when the missile sounded and within seconds I found myself under the rubble.” Dima, who experienced the horror of being trapped under the rubble, said he could neither move nor shout for help. “I tried to get up but suddenly I found myself lying on the ground under the rubble. I had difficulty breathing and did not have the strength to shout for help. “I just felt severe pain and waited for help to arrive,” he said.
Dima stated that after a while, he tried to clear the rubble above his head and tried to breathe. “Everywhere was rubble, it was a terrible situation. There was no one there; there were no sounds coming from anywhere and there was a chilling silence all around,” he said. Dima, who said that after long hours of pain and fear, he was taken to the Aksa Martyrs Hospital by civil defense teams, said that he was still receiving treatment for the severe injuries on his body.
In Gaza, the health system has collapsed as a result of the intense attacks that have continued since October 7, and there is a shortage of medicine and medical equipment used to treat burns. Dima is one of thousands of people affected by these shortages. Dima, who needs surgical operations such as skin grafts on her palms and the fixation of shattered bones with platinum rods, cannot undergo these interventions due to the current facilities.
Dima, who tried to cope with the pain and could not help but feel sorry for his family’s situation, said that more than 65 percent of his family members’ bodies were burned and that he could not recognize them because of the severity of the burns. “I thought that civilian houses in the Gaza Strip would be bombed, but I never imagined that our house would be hit, and that I would receive such serious burns,” he said.
Dima could not hold back his tears as he described the first moment he met his family: “After they were pulled from the rubble, I did not recognize my family. I asked, ‘Is this my sister Rima? Is this my father? Is ‘This is my mother?’ “I could not recognize them because of the burns on their faces. Even though they could not make a sound, I could hear their moans of pain.”
Memories of Rima
Rima Akil, on the other hand, said that everything turned into rubble when a missile hit their house while they were prostrating during evening prayers. “After the first moments of chaos and pain, I tried to reach my uncle’s house and call for help, but my pain and suffering were too much. I was then taken to the hospital where I began a painful treatment process,” she said.
Rima stated that she was first taken to Avde Hospital and stayed there for a while, saying, “They were ventilating my body because of my burns. Then I was taken to a room for examination and after a while I was transferred to Aksa Hospital. “I could not be transferred to Aksa Hospital immediately because the hospital was full of wounded people.”
Rima, who stated that the most difficult moment for her was when she saw her mother covered in burns, said, “I cannot forget that moment. I collapsed to the ground in tears and screamed, calling other family members for help,” and described The horror she experienced.
