SAFA — Between life and death, Mohammed Baalousha spent long days in hospital corridors, fighting a critical injury caused by a bullet fired from an Israeli quadcopter. After a prolonged coma, Mohammed finally regained consciousness, but he awoke having lost sight in one eye and with a fractured skull that doctors in Gaza lack the medical resources to treat.

On January 3, 2024, Mohammed’s life changed forever when an Israeli bullet pierced his head and left him in a prolonged coma.

“The bullet entered his head from below his ear, causing him to lose sight in his right eye and leaving him with a fractured skull,” his father, Nidal Baalousha, told Felesteen.

Since then, Mohammed has continued to suffer the lasting effects of his injury, becoming a regular patient at hospitals as he searches in vain for a way out of his suffering.

“Doctors issued him an urgent referral for treatment abroad because they cannot treat his condition here. Unfortunately, we have been waiting to travel for nearly two years, while his condition continues to deteriorate day by day.”

Doctors have forbidden Mohammed from being exposed to direct sunlight or engaging in physical exertion because of his condition.

“This has deepened Mohammed’s depression. Before the genocide, he was one of the top students in his class. Today, he is confined to a displacement tent after we lost everything we owned in Jabalia. The conditions here are simply not suitable for someone in Mohammed’s condition,” his father said.

Mohammed and his father now live alone in a displacement tent.

“I cannot leave Mohammed on his own. He sometimes suffers fainting spells and seizures that require immediate attention, especially if he exerts himself or even goes out in the sun to buy a loaf of bread.”

After Mohammed’s injury, another tragedy devastated the family. On October 6, 2024, Israeli forces detonated a remotely operated robot near them while they were displaced in the Al-Tawam area.

“My mother, my brother and eight other members of my family were killed. My children and I suffered various injuries, including Mahmoud, who was later diagnosed with cancer while receiving treatment for his injuries.”

Baalousha added: “Mahmoud, his brothers Amir and Noah, and my wife were evacuated for treatment abroad. Mohammed and I, however, were not. We were supposed to leave later through Mohammed’s medical referral. Unfortunately, this was the third time his referral was scheduled, and once again, we were unable to travel. He now has two referrals — one for neurology and another for ophthalmology.”

Mohammed has developed swelling in his forehead at the site of his skull fracture, and doctors believe the injury may have caused nerve damage. They therefore issued him a referral for neurological treatment abroad.

He also suffers from a fracture and deformity of his right eye socket and has lost sight in that eye. His remaining eye has since developed blurred vision, prompting doctors to refer him abroad in an effort to save his remaining sight before it is too late.

The psychological toll has been equally devastating.

“I enrolled him at university to study interior design after he struggled to complete high school. But he asked me to defer the semester because he was physically and psychologically unable to study. Losing his mother and being separated from his siblings who were evacuated abroad has made his psychological condition even worse,” his father said.

Isolation from his peers and his inability to engage in physical activity have further deepened Mohammed’s suffering and his family’s fears.

“We are afraid he might collapse in the street or suffer another injury that could seriously worsen his condition. We also spend long hours in hospitals for follow-ups and to obtain his medication, and this only adds to his psychological distress.”

All Mohammed’s father wants now is for his son to be evacuated from Gaza for the treatment he urgently needs — to save the sight he has left, protect his life and give a young man already robbed of so much the chance to return to his education and reclaim his future.