Maha’s Story: Gaza Mother Evacuated to Jordan
Maha, a mother of five, lost her son Ahmad and her right leg when her family’s tent in Gaza was struck. She was medically evacuated to Jordan for care.
They used to call me ‘the bee’ because I could never sit still.
I am a mother of five, and my children were my whole world. My life revolved around them: caring for them, supporting them, and dreaming about their future.
I never imagined that one day I would lose my leg, or that the simplest movements would become something I longed for.
When the war began, displacement became part of our daily life. We moved from one area of Gaza to another, searching for safety amid relentless bombing, fear, and severe shortages of food and water. For long stretches, we lived in overcrowded schools and makeshift shelters. At one point, we even took refuge on a poultry farm, because there was nowhere else left to go.
All I cared about was protecting my children and finding them the most basic things they needed. As the famine worsened, my 13-year-old son, Ahmad, began hiding his small piece of bread under his pillow before he slept, afraid there would be nothing to eat the next day.
On the night we were attacked, Ahmad did what he always did. He tucked his bread under his pillow and went to sleep.
A few hours later, our tent was struck.
That night, Ahmad fell asleep forever.
Three of my other children were injured.
Fire was burning my body and the body of my young son, Eyas. The force of the blast threw us out of the tent, next to a water tank. Without thinking, and without knowing how badly I was hurt, I started pouring water over us, trying to put out the flames and save my son. Only later did I realize I had lost my leg.
Both of my legs were badly injured. My right leg was amputated below the knee, and my left leg suffered multiple complex fractures that required major surgery and long-term treatment.
After initial treatment in Gaza, where the health system had collapsed, I was medically evacuated to Jordan for specialized care. Since then, I have undergone multiple surgeries and reconstructive procedures, constant wound care, and ongoing physiotherapy.
The pain is still there, and so are the days when I can barely move. But I keep holding on to hope. My greatest wish is to walk freely again, so I can be the mother I always was: the bee who never sat still, always taking care of her children.
Read about FAJR’s medical evacuations from Gaza and the MedEvac program, or see FAJR in Jordan.
