Ahmad’s Story: Burned in Gaza, Now in Jordan
Five-year-old Ahmad lost his mother and father when his family’s tent in Gaza was struck. Read how he is healing in Jordan, his cousin beside him.
Pictured
Smiling five-year-old boy resting his chin on his hand at a table, holding a yellow toy
FAJR’s leadership on Our TeamEvery time I touch my head… I remember my mom and dad, and I miss them.
Ahmad is five years old. He lived with his family in a small tent, and every moment of his day was wrapped around his mother and father.
When he speaks of his mother, his voice grows soft:
“My mom loved me so much. Every morning she changed my clothes, combed my hair, and kissed me. She always made us the best food. I love her so much.”
His memories of his father are just as clear:
“My dad used to take us to Friday prayers. We would shower, put on our jalabiyas and perfume, and go together. I love him so much, and I miss him.”
On August 7, Ahmad’s family was inside their tent when it was struck. In seconds, it was filled with fire, smoke, and screams.
Ahmad’s mother and father were killed.
Ahmad survived, but with severe burns to his face, head, and hands. He lost much of his hair, and the childhood he knew was replaced by a long road of surgeries and treatment.
Sometimes Ahmad quietly reaches up and touches his small head, as if he can still feel his mother’s hands combing his hair, or hear his father’s voice waking him for Friday prayers.
Today, Ahmad is in Jordan for treatment. His cousin has never left his side. Between the pain and the procedures, Ahmad holds tightly to the small things he still has: the scent of his father’s perfume, the sound of his mother’s voice, and the warmth of a home that vanished in an instant.
Read about FAJR’s medical evacuations from Gaza and the MedEvac program, or see FAJR in Jordan.
