Children Suffer the Most in Israel-Hamas Conflict
2021-05-20
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1Children are suffering severe trauma as Israel continues its bombing campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
2Gaza health officials say at least 63 children are among the 217 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza.
3The fighting between Israel and Hamas began on May 10.
4On example is seven-year-old Suzy Ishkontana.
5She spent hours Sunday under the wreckage of her family home.
6Her brothers, sisters and mother died.
7Now she speaks or eats very little.
8In Israel, 12 people have been killed by rockets fired by the militant group Hamas which rules Gaza.
9All but one of the people killed were civilians.
10One was a five-year-old boy.
11For many children, it is trauma they have experienced for much of their lives.
12Israel and Hamas also fought wars in 2009, 2012 and 2014.
13Each time, Israel has launched heavy airstrikes in the small area where 2 million people live.
14Israel says it does everything it can to prevent civilian deaths.
15Sometimes, Israel sends warnings to people to leave buildings that are about to be bombed.
16Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets, but most are stopped by Israel's defense system.
17Israel also continues to bomb targets in Gaza.
18The Ishkontana family was buried under their home early Sunday, after intense bombing of Gaza City.
19Israel said it was targeting a Hamas tunnel network.
20The strikes came without warning.
21Riad Ishkontana said he was buried for five hours under a big piece of wreckage.
22He was unable to reach his wife and five children.
23"I was listening to their voices beneath the rubble.
24I heard Dana and Zain calling, 'Dad! Dad!' before their voices faded and then I realized they had died," he said, speaking about two of his children.
25Suzy was brought to the hospital alive, the second-oldest of his three daughters and two sons.
26She was the only survivor.
27The young girl was in "severe trauma and shock," said Dr. Zuhair Al-Jaro.
28He said the hospital could not get her the psychological treatment she needs because of the continued fighting.
29"She has entered into a deep depression," Al-Jaro said.
30The Ishkontanas were just one family destroyed that day.
31The Israeli military said the strikes Sunday targeted Hamas tunnels under Gaza City.
32The strikes hit al-Wahda Street.
33Reports say it is one of the city's busiest streets and has many buildings where people live, and includes stores and restaurants.
34Three buildings were destroyed, and many people from at least three families were killed.
35In all 42 people died, including 10 children and 16 women.
36Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus is an Israeli military spokesman.
37He said the airstrikes caused a tunnel to collapse, bringing houses down with it.
38He said civilian deaths "were not the aim."
39The Norwegian Refugee Council is a group that aims to help displaced people.
40It said 11 of the children killed in this war were involved in its program.
41One of the children was eight-year-old Dana, Suzy's sister.
42Hozayfa Yazji is with the Norwegian Refugee Council.
43The violence "will of course affect the psychology of these kids," he said.
44"We are expecting that ... the situation will be much worse and more children will need more support."
45The refugee council says it works with 118 schools in Gaza, affecting more than 75,000 students.
46Its Better Learning Program trains teachers to help traumatized children and organizes fun exercises to ease stress.
47Jan Egeland is the council's secretary-general.
48He called for a cease-fire, saying, "Spare these children and their families. Stop bombing them now."
49But in the longer term, he called for an end to the blockade on Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian territory.
50It is necessary "if we are to avoid more trauma and death among children," he said.
51I'm Jonathan Evans.
1Children are suffering severe trauma as Israel continues its bombing campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. 2Gaza health officials say at least 63 children are among the 217 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza. The fighting between Israel and Hamas began on May 10. 3On example is seven-year-old Suzy Ishkontana. She spent hours Sunday under the wreckage of her family home. Her brothers, sisters and mother died. Now she speaks or eats very little. 4In Israel, 12 people have been killed by rockets fired by the militant group Hamas which rules Gaza. All but one of the people killed were civilians. One was a five-year-old boy. 5For many children, it is trauma they have experienced for much of their lives. Israel and Hamas also fought wars in 2009, 2012 and 2014. Each time, Israel has launched heavy airstrikes in the small area where 2 million people live. 6Israel says it does everything it can to prevent civilian deaths. Sometimes, Israel sends warnings to people to leave buildings that are about to be bombed. 7Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets, but most are stopped by Israel's defense system. Israel also continues to bomb targets in Gaza. 8The Ishkontana family was buried under their home early Sunday, after intense bombing of Gaza City. Israel said it was targeting a Hamas tunnel network. The strikes came without warning. 9Riad Ishkontana said he was buried for five hours under a big piece of wreckage. He was unable to reach his wife and five children. 10"I was listening to their voices beneath the rubble. I heard Dana and Zain calling, 'Dad! Dad!' before their voices faded and then I realized they had died," he said, speaking about two of his children. 11Suzy was brought to the hospital alive, the second-oldest of his three daughters and two sons. She was the only survivor. 12The young girl was in "severe trauma and shock," said Dr. Zuhair Al-Jaro. He said the hospital could not get her the psychological treatment she needs because of the continued fighting. 13"She has entered into a deep depression," Al-Jaro said. 14The Ishkontanas were just one family destroyed that day. 15The Israeli military said the strikes Sunday targeted Hamas tunnels under Gaza City. The strikes hit al-Wahda Street. Reports say it is one of the city's busiest streets and has many buildings where people live, and includes stores and restaurants. 16Three buildings were destroyed, and many people from at least three families were killed. In all 42 people died, including 10 children and 16 women. 17Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus is an Israeli military spokesman. He said the airstrikes caused a tunnel to collapse, bringing houses down with it. He said civilian deaths "were not the aim." 18The Norwegian Refugee Council is a group that aims to help displaced people. It said 11 of the children killed in this war were involved in its program. One of the children was eight-year-old Dana, Suzy's sister. 19Hozayfa Yazji is with the Norwegian Refugee Council. 20The violence "will of course affect the psychology of these kids," he said. "We are expecting that ... the situation will be much worse and more children will need more support." 21The refugee council says it works with 118 schools in Gaza, affecting more than 75,000 students. Its Better Learning Program trains teachers to help traumatized children and organizes fun exercises to ease stress. 22Jan Egeland is the council's secretary-general. He called for a cease-fire, saying, "Spare these children and their families. Stop bombing them now." 23But in the longer term, he called for an end to the blockade on Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian territory. It is necessary "if we are to avoid more trauma and death among children," he said. 24I'm Jonathan Evans. 25Fare Akram reported this story for The Associated Press. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 26____________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28trauma - n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time 29rubble - n. broken pieces of stone, brick, etc., from walls or buildings that have fallen 30spare - v. to choose not to punish or harm 31blockade -n. an act of war in which one country uses ships to stop people or supplies from entering or leaving another country