On the morning of March 25, Gaza’s harsh reality claimed another innocent victim. Seven-year-old Mohammad Hijazi stepped outside his home to play, as children often do in the besieged strip—seeking fleeting moments of joy amid the constant threat of violence. What should have been a typical day quickly turned into another tragedy.

A violent explosion shattered the calm, sending shockwaves through the neighbourhood. Mohammad’s father, Khaled Hijazi, rushed toward the sounds of panic and found his son lying in a pool of blood, his body surrounded by other injured children. The blast had been caused by an unexploded ordinance left behind by Israeli forces during one of their ongoing military operations. Mohammad, in search of a normal childhood moment, became another victim of Gaza’s unrelenting blockade and bombardment.

Rushed to the hospital, Mohammad’s condition was dire. Doctors fought desperately to save his right eye, but despite their efforts, he lost it. Transferred to a specialised eye hospital, Mohammad’s situation remains critical. The child’s family, already devastated, now faces a far graver challenge than the injury itself—the suffocating Israeli blockade. For more than 16 years, this siege has trapped Gaza’s people, denying them access to essential healthcare, and leaving countless lives hanging in the balance.

Over 14,000 patients in Gaza urgently need medical referrals, including more than 400 children like Mohammad. Many suffer from life-threatening diseases such as cancer, heart conditions, or severe injuries sustained from airstrikes. But Israeli authorities persist in closing border crossings, delaying, or outright denying permits. As a result, many of these patients, including children, will never receive the treatment they so desperately need.

For the Hijazi family, this is a cruel reality. “I want to give my son my eye,” said Khaled. “But even that dream is impossible. We live in a giant prison, with no doors and no hope.”

Mohammad, too young to fully comprehend the enormity of his loss, is left only with the sight of half a world. The threat of total blindness looms over him, as Gaza’s health system, pushed to the brink of collapse, cannot provide the care he requires. Nearly half of all essential medicines are unavailable, and around 60% of medical equipment is out of service due to a lack of spare parts and maintenance.

The blockade, which has suffocated Gaza since 2007, has pushed hospitals to the edge, with many patients forced to seek treatment outside the strip. But medical referrals have become another tool of Israeli control, delayed or denied at will, turning treatable conditions into death sentences.

Mohammad’s story is not just another statistic in Gaza’s tragic casualty list. He is a child whose innocence was stolen by the brutality of an ongoing occupation. His bandaged eyes tell the painful story of Gaza’s struggle to survive, a fight that continues to unfold under the weight of an unjust siege.