Gaza - Saba:
After a tragic journey filled with suffering, Palestinian youth Karam Hussein successfully escaped the death traps set by the Israeli enemy for Gaza's youth.
On June 25, Karam, 18, left his home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, northwest of Gaza, walking more than 25 kilometers in search of food for his family amid the crippling hunger crisis plaguing the Strip.
Karam arrived at the aid distribution center in the Netzarim area, south of the city, where dozens of young men had gathered, waiting for the gate to open. But what seemed like an opportunity for food turned into a nightmare.
Karam told the Palestinian Safa News Agency, "Suddenly, Israeli forces surrounded us and forced us to take off our clothes and wear white uniforms similar to those worn by COVID-19 patients." He noted that the soldiers were accompanied by trained dogs and drones carrying bombs.
At that moment, Karam and the other detainees were faced with two choices: either comply with the Israeli army or die. Under the threat of drones, they were transported in armoured personnel carriers, handcuffed, to begin a journey of psychological and physical torture.
"The beatings were deliberate, and whenever the vehicle stopped or turned suddenly, we were subjected to severe beatings. Finally, they transferred us to Ramleh prison, where the real torture began," Karam added. In prison, they were interrogated about the resistance and the captured soldiers, while Karam insists that he was just a boy looking for food for his family.
Days passed in prison under daily torture, until Karam was transferred to Sde Timan prison, where his health deteriorated due to nervous convulsions resulting from repeated electric shocks. "There was no medical attention, we kicked even as we trembled on the floor," says Karam, who suffered from complete isolation.
On July 24, he and nine other detainees, most of them wounded, were transferred to the Kerem Shalom crossing, where soldiers ordered them to run west without looking back.
"We ran like someone escaping hell," Karam says. "Then we met the Red Cross, who took us to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis," he adds.
After receiving treatment at Nasser Hospital, Karam began to recover some of his strength, having suffered a severe convulsion as a result of the torture he had endured. However, he never forgot the moment he felt saved, saying, "When I arrived home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood after midnight, I felt like I was born again. I hugged my family and neighbors, and I couldn't believe I was alive."
In a moving message, Karam warned Palestinian youth against going to American aid centers, saying, "They are not food centers, but traps for arrest and death."
This story comes at a time when Gaza is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history, especially after the Israeli enemy imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip since the beginning of this year. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the number of aid martyrs has risen to 1,655, while injuries have exceeded 11,800.
Karam Hussein's experience is just one part of a broader tragic situation in the Gaza Strip, which is witnessing widespread famine and worsening health conditions, reflecting the brutality of the Israeli enemy and the need for international intervention to end the suffering of the Palestinian people.
M.M
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