Education activist Malala Yousafzai recently highlighted the distressing trauma experienced by a young Palestinian girl amid Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Sharing an Instagram story, Malala drew attention to the plight of the girl, who has lost her hair due to the immense stress and trauma caused by the violence. Malala called for an immediate ceasefire to protect innocent lives, writing, “This is the trauma Palestinian girls are facing under Israel’s bombardment—no peace, no school. We need a ceasefire now to protect these children’s lives.”
Malala, a Pakistani Nobel laureate, has consistently raised her voice in defense of Palestinian children and has condemned Israel’s attacks on Gaza, particularly those targeting educational institutions.
The young girl, eight-year-old Sama Tabil, once cherished her hair but now faces ridicule for her baldness, a result of the trauma she has endured. With tears in her eyes, Sama expressed her wish to travel abroad for treatment so she can “be beautiful again.”
Also Read: ARMY4Palestine: BTS Fans Rally for Gaza Amid Israeli Conflict
In a heartbreaking video, Sama shared that she was a good student who took pride in her appearance before going to school. However, her life was turned upside down when she and her family were displaced following an Israeli assault on their camp in Rafah. They were asleep when the attack began, waking to the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Days later, Sama’s hair began to fall out.
Sama’s mother recounted the horrors they witnessed, including dead bodies and widespread destruction, which have left deep emotional scars on her daughter. “The constant fear of shelling and lack of security has rubbed salt into the wound,” she said, lamenting how the Israeli strikes have robbed Sama of her childhood.
In the Khan Younis camp, Sama is taunted by other girls who call her bald and compare her to a cancer patient, adding to her emotional pain. Unfortunately, due to a severe shortage of medicine in the besieged territory, doctors are unable to treat her condition.
UNICEF has issued warnings about the growing mental health crisis facing children in Gaza, further underscoring the dire need for international intervention.
