Let’s start from the end, Maryia, Hamdi and Momen received last week the Israeli residency so they no longer need to worry about their future. They can stay in Israel, in the Jerusalem area under the medical treatment Maryia has been receiving since the attack. I can’t tell how happy I am. I’ve been following their story in the last almost five years and I want to share with you once more.
“Collateral damage”
The innocent victims of the "targeted killings" policy that Israel uses against Palestinian militant leaders of the Islamic groups are called "collateral damage".
The Aman family had all the possible reasons to be happy. Just a few days ago they bought a car, a white Mitsubishi. Hamdi, his uncle, his mother, his wife, his cousin, and his three sons decided to make the first trip in the new car to visit Hamdi's sister.
Squeezing in the back seat the family was enjoying the drive along Gaza streets.
Hamdi's daughter Mariya was dancing in the small space left between her mother's knees.
A black jeep was passing by their car when suddenly they felt a "huge wave" and immediately after, an explosion.
In the black jeep was Dahdouh, a Jihad Islamic leader.
Hamdi lost his wife Naima, his mother Hanan and his son Muhaned. Little Mariya and Uncle Nahed were severely inured. Nahed died later and Mariya was paralyzed from her neck down.
Later on she was taken to Alyn rehabilitation hospital in Jerusalem.
She has now completed a rehabilitation program.
Despite all problems Maryia and what was left from her family, Hamdi (father) and Momen (younger brother, 7) are a courageous family trying to overcome difficulties.
Maryia goes to a normative school, she started 3rd. grade, in the Jerusalem bilingual school.
Hamdi is fighting an order to move her from a rehabilitation centre in Israel to a rehabilitation center in the occupied West Bank. The Defense Ministry has been seeking since last year to send her to Ramallah's Abu Raya Rehabilitation Centre. The Israeli Supreme Court has been postponing the order for periods of six months.
Some time ago, Dan Halutz (former Chief of the Israeli Air Force and later Chief of Staff of the IDF) was asked about what a pilot feels when he drops a one ton bomb in a "targeted killing" mission over a populated area, causing innocent victims, and answered "a slight tremor in the wing of the airplane".
The Aman family had all the possible reasons to be happy. Just a few days ago they bought a car, a white Mitsubishi. Hamdi, his uncle, his mother, his wife, his cousin, and his three sons decided to make the first trip in the new car to visit Hamdi's sister.
Squeezing in the back seat the family was enjoying the drive along Gaza streets.
Hamdi's daughter Mariya was dancing in the small space left between her mother's knees.
A black jeep was passing by their car when suddenly they felt a "huge wave" and immediately after, an explosion.
In the black jeep was Dahdouh, a Jihad Islamic leader.
Hamdi lost his wife Naima, his mother Hanan and his son Muhaned. Little Mariya and Uncle Nahed were severely inured. Nahed died later and Mariya was paralyzed from her neck down.
Later on she was taken to Alyn rehabilitation hospital in Jerusalem.
She has now completed a rehabilitation program.
Despite all problems Maryia and what was left from her family, Hamdi (father) and Momen (younger brother, 7) are a courageous family trying to overcome difficulties.
Maryia goes to a normative school, she started 3rd. grade, in the Jerusalem bilingual school.
Hamdi is fighting an order to move her from a rehabilitation centre in Israel to a rehabilitation center in the occupied West Bank. The Defense Ministry has been seeking since last year to send her to Ramallah's Abu Raya Rehabilitation Centre. The Israeli Supreme Court has been postponing the order for periods of six months.
Some time ago, Dan Halutz (former Chief of the Israeli Air Force and later Chief of Staff of the IDF) was asked about what a pilot feels when he drops a one ton bomb in a "targeted killing" mission over a populated area, causing innocent victims, and answered "a slight tremor in the wing of the airplane".
A few things changed since my last update, Maryia switched schools and she is going to another great project in the school for children with special needs of Ilanot. The whole family is about to move to the Arab town of Abu Gosh in the outskirts of Jerusalem, to a real house (specially redesigned for Maryias needs) and they finally will leave the hospital after 5 years.
Now with the residency they will have the chance of restart a new life, mainly without the fear of not knowing what will happen to them in the future.
Of course this won’t make all what happened disappear, and the wounds and the lost will be always there.
Ironically the letter announcing the residency was signed by the (Ultra Orthodox - right wing) Interior Minister Eli Yshai, and as much as I try no to be cynical, it seems that the Carmel forest fire disaster made the Minister for once more human……or to pay some political price.
Collateral Damage - A photo reportage of Maryia Aman
Collateral Damage - A photo reportage of Maryia Aman
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