A Gaza-born academic, who was separated from his children for months after leaving the enclave just before Israel launched a deadly offensive a year ago, on his family’s joy and recovery since being reunited in the UK. spoke.
“Others weren’t able to hold their children in this war,” Amani Ahmed told NBC News in a video interview yesterday from Edinburgh, Scotland, where he currently holds a Ph.D. in business administration. is currently being acquired. “But I was lucky to have the opportunity to hug her and spend time with her again.”
Ahmed was in Europe on a month-long research trip when Israel launched its attack on Gaza. Her husband and three children, ages 9, 14, and 16, were subsequently repeatedly evacuated throughout the enclave, leaving her feeling helpless. Their home in northern Gaza was attacked by Israeli airstrikes.
However, in April, during Ramadan, Ahmed was finally reunited with his family after being successfully evacuated from Gaza with the help of the Council for Academics at Risk (CARA). It was a joyous moment for the family, but months later the children are still struggling to recover from the lasting trauma they suffered during the war, Ahmed said.
“They’re just remembering this war,” she said, explaining how children get scared when they hear loud noises like fireworks. And Mr Ahmed said he was worried about their academic future as they struggled to adapt to the new education system and language after temporarily enrolling in Scottish schools.
Ahmed said he and his family hope to return to Gaza when it is safe to do so and help rebuild what was lost in the enclave, where much of its infrastructure has been destroyed. But she said a ceasefire was first needed to end the deadly fighting in Gaza.
“Without a ceasefire, no one will be safe,” she said.
