Abdul Karim.. Brief Joy in Time of Zionist Genocide

The birth of Abdul Karim was a moral lifeline for a Palestinian family torn apart by the Israeli genocide in Gaza. A family that lost its home and wealth, and lived the humiliation of displacement from one place to another—then the firstborn son arrived as a long-awaited glimmer of hope.

The family thought his birth would bring back some of the laughter that had been stolen from them, and that the little one would be a support for his four-year-old sister.

But the joy faded quickly. Just two years after Ahmed Al-Araibid’s family celebrated the birth of their firstborn, Abdul Karim, everything changed, and the joy of birth turned into worry and waiting for treatment.

His grandfather, Abdul Karim, told “Filastin” newspaper: “My grandson was a normal child, with no symptoms of illness, and he grew normally like his peers until he reached six months of age.”

He added: “Suddenly, involuntary tremors began to appear in his eyes, so we took him to the hospital, where doctors told us he needed an MRI, but it was not available in the Gaza Strip due to the war. As the seizure episodes in his body continued, we took him to the hospital several times. At that point, doctors suspected he was suffering from electrical seizures.”

He continued: “Even the medication prescribed by the doctors for his condition was not available at the hospital, as the occupation continues to prevent medicines from entering the Gaza Strip normally. Doctors were forced to give him an alternative medication, but unfortunately, this medication left severe effects on Abdul Karim’s condition.”

After a period of taking the treatment, Abdul Karim’s condition changed from a child who sat and babbled to a limp, motionless body, lying on his back in his bed, after suffering from muscle and nerve flaccidity, and he no longer moved except when his body jolted due to the electrical seizures.

His grandfather said: “His condition worsened; after the seizure used to come once every day or two, it now never leaves him, striking him dozens of times a day.” He continued: “Suddenly, his body jolts for a few seconds and his eyes tremble, then he calms down briefly before the seizure returns, and so the condition repeats. Unfortunately, Abdul Karim cannot speak or express what he feels, and no one notices what happens to his body except those who sit beside him.”

What added to Abdul Karim’s suffering was that he lost his sight and can no longer see at all. His grandfather said: “My grandson’s loss of sight baffled the eye doctors we took him to; they found no functional defect in his eyes, nor could they determine the cause of his blindness.”

Inside a displacement tent, Abdul Karim lives with his family in harsh living conditions that are incompatible with his health condition, as any infection, such as the flu, leads to a deterioration in his condition, forcing his mother to stay with him in the hospital and keep him under medical observation.

Despite Abdul Karim receiving a medical referral for treatment abroad about nine months ago, he has not been able to travel to this day due to the restrictions imposed by the Israeli enemy on patients traveling for treatment outside the Gaza Strip.

His grandfather said: “We want our grandson’s right to travel abroad for treatment, as doctors, under the conditions of war and the lack of medical resources here, are unable to diagnose and treat his condition, while his health deteriorates day by day. All we want is for him to travel immediately, as delays harm his health.”