RAFIF ESLEEM

Gaza - Forced to flee Gaza, Salma al-Ajla had exhausted all medical options to save her leg. Doctors warned her to prepare mentally and physically for an imminent amputation. Defying the odds, she obtained a medical referral to Egypt, where surgeons renewed her hope of walking again.

While Salma may have regained her leg — and the chance to run again — Israeli military restrictions and official plans for the forced displacement of Palestinians have shattered her hope of returning home.

 Seeking light in the darkness

Salma al-Ajla was injured in November 2023 during the genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip. She recounted, “After fleeing from northern Gaza to the south, specifically to the so-called safe shelters or humanitarian zone designated by Israeli forces in Deir al-Balah, I realized that area was neither safe nor humane.”

She added that upon seeing the extent of her injury from the Israeli strike, she understood her medical journey would be arduous. When she arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, she spent hours bleeding on the floor without a bed, due to the overwhelming number of casualties inflicted by Israeli forces that night.

She recalled being taken to the operating room not for treatment, but for surgery to stabilize fractures in her left leg after suffering shattered bones and loss of muscle and tissue. The surgery was followed by two additional surgeries aimed solely at delaying amputation, all performed without pain relief, leaving her sleepless for months. After two months, the onset of gangrene made amputation unavoidable.

 ‘I left my heart in Gaza’

By a twist of fate, a miracle unfolded, Salma al-Ajla said, “On the very day my medical referral was issued, I headed to the border crossing. When I arrived at the hospital in Egypt, the doctor told me that if I had delayed even one more week, no one could have saved my leg.” There, she found the specialized medical equipment that enabled her recovery and the beginning of proper treatment — though she remained far from happy.

“I left my heart in Gaza,” Salma said, describing the moment when she was told she had to leave the Gaza Strip. Filled with emotions, she broke down in tears. “I will not leave Gaza, even if it means losing my leg or dying in the war. I will never leave my home again.” She was aware of Israeli intentions toward those who leave Gaza but felt powerless to resist.

This was not Salma’s first time leaving Gaza. She had traveled abroad several times for tourism; always knowing that she would return home. She recalled how, riding in the ambulance, she looked at the passing roads and silently said goodbye — to the faces of her loved ones who joined the farewell at the last moment, wishing for her healing and recovery. Those memories continue to haunt her.

Salma wishes she never left during such a difficult time, leaving her loved ones behind. “I wish I could hold onto a different image of Gaza — one free from destruction and ruin, beautiful as it always was.” She longs for her school days, university life, friends from work and training, and long evenings by the sea — a full life, with all its details, that she lived for years.

 More than Gaza, youth and history lost

Salma al-Ajla cannot forget when her friend sent her a photo of her partially destroyed home — her bedroom, favorite clothes, books, papers, and certificates from her studies and training. It made her realize that she had lost more than Gaza; she had lost her youth and the history she hoped, despite her young age, to build and reap the rewards of.

“Although classified as a survivor of genocide and living in an apartment spared from the sounds of bombing and hunger, I do not feel saved. During the early days in the hospital, I suffered health crises requiring oxygen support. The doctor even advised my mother to disconnect me from the phone and avoid news from Gaza. But how could I, when my family and loved ones have not survived?”

Before the war on Gaza, Salma led a vibrant and privileged life. She participated in major scientific and political conferences in the Strip and met many prominent figures. She always felt the microphone and camera were inseparable parts of her. She hosted a talk show she couldn’t finish filming, hoping it would air — just like her wish for the war to end and to return home.