Gaza Herald _ A dinner gathering during forced displacement turned into a scene of sudden tragedy for Hani al-Mabhouh, a fifty-year-old resident originally from northern Gaza’s Azbet Abd Rabbo area.
On January 4, 2025, as the al-Mabhouh family sat down to eat in Deir al-Balah as the evening call to prayer sounded, an Israeli bombardment struck nearby, spraying lethal shrapnel directly into their shelter.
The sudden blast instantly killed 15-year-old Mohammed and inflicted severe, life-altering injuries on two of his siblings, shattering the household’s sense of safety and leaving their father to manage multiple medical crises amidst ongoing displacement.
Tragic Loss Echoes Previous War Bereavement for Gaza Father
The death of 15-year-old Mohammed struck a deeply painful nerve for al-Mabhouh, who had previously lost another son named Mohammed during the 2008 war in Gaza.
Having named his younger child after his late brother in hopes of seeing him grow up safely, the father was forced to relive the same profound loss years later.
The strike also left al-Mabhouh himself with a back wound, compounding severe permanent health conditions he has carried since 2008, when previous military injuries required surgeons to remove one of his lungs.
Traumatic Head Injuries Interrupt Nursing Student’s Future
Beyond the fatal loss of Mohammed, 24-year-old Ahmed al-Mabhouh suffered critical injuries, including a severe skull fracture and shrapnel lodged near his left eye that impairs his vision and causes debilitating headaches.
Shrapnel also damaged a major artery in his foot, severely restricting his mobility. Before the attack, Ahmed was only a few academic credit hours away from completing his nursing degree at a local university, but his ongoing medical complications have halted his graduation and daily functioning, leaving him bedridden and reliant on specialized medical intervention that remains unavailable locally.
Bureaucratic Hurdles and Foreign Travel Delay Eye Surgeries for Siblings
The family continues to struggle against immense medical and financial obstacles to secure specialized treatment outside the Gaza Strip. Despite obtaining official medical transfer documents (Form No. 1), Ahmed’s travel applications to leave the enclave remain blocked, preventing him from receiving neurosurgical care abroad.
Meanwhile, his 17-year-old sister lost an eye in the blast; after undergoing three unsuccessful corrective surgeries in Egypt paid for out-of-pocket by her father, she was transferred to Libya, where specialists confirmed she requires advanced iris transplant surgery in Europe. Separated by borders and strained by financial burdens, al-Mabhouh continues to seek international medical passage for his surviving children to prevent further permanent disabilities.
