Hadi Zaquot stands outside his house in Northern Gaza with a few other children, waiting to fill his bowl with water. Suddenly, he hears a bang as the ground beneath him shakes, throwing him to the floor and knocking him out. When he regains consciousness, his left leg has been torn to shreds, and his left arm rendered immobile by shrapnel.
Zaquot is a 12 year old from Gaza who was brought to Egypt with his mother, leaving his father and six siblings behind. There, he received an above-the-knee amputation. He was brought to St. Louis by HEAL Palestine, a non-profit organization devoted to helping injured children from Gaza receive treatment. Randah Zalatimo, volunteer for HEAL Palestine and head of the St. Louis chapter, has been a member since it was established in Jan. 2023.
“I’ve been working very closely with [the founder] Steve Sosebee and his team for the past eight years as part of the original organization, Palestinian Children Relief Fund,” Zalatimo said. “[Over the years,] children [have come] to the U.S. and have been healed. I’ve met families of children who were treated 25 and 30 years ago, and I’ve heard beautiful stories.”
HEAL is the only active organization in northern Gaza, and has been providing relief to the region. According to their website, their mission is to transform the lives of Palestinian youth by providing essential healthcare, education, aid, as well as leadership.
“HEAL Palestine [has established] schools in Gaza,” Zalatimo said. “They are educating kids [and] teachers everyday. [We’ve] been serving 5,000 meals per day, [and doing] medical missions.”
Zalatimo has been hosting Zaquot and his mother at her house on the weekends alongside two other host families. They have also helped him receive medical treatment and education.
“There are no employees. Nobody is paid,” Zalatimo said. “We are all volunteering our time and putting our efforts into this because we believe in the cause.”
Many volunteers like Alaa Ibrahim want to help in any way possible. Ibrahim said she held similar sentiments and was looking for an opportunity to assist the organization.
“I needed to do something, and it’s an honor to host or do anything to help alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza,” Ibrahim said. “This is the least we can do. All of humanity needs to do something about this.”
Since the war began last year, 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, 16,456 of which are children. Ibrahim said she was at a fundraiser at a local mosque when Steve Sosebee announced he was bringing children to the U.S. for medical treatment. She said wanted to help Zaquot when she found out he was coming to St. Louis.
“It’s not easy to manage my own kids, house, work and hosting a child, but we manage,” Ibrahim said. “Hadi has taught us a lot. He changed something in our house and he had a positive impact on our family. If I have a chance to do this again [through the HEAL organization], I definitely [will].”
According to Human Rights Watch, there are one million children among the 1.9 million people displaced. Zaquot is one of the 26 children brought to America for medical treatment through the efforts of HEAL Palestine.
“Bringing a child here takes a lot of effort and work,” Zalatimo said. “We are lucky [that] the hospitals we are working with are all for free. Our expenses are [mostly] the daily expenses that [we have] on the ground in Gaza.”
Zaquot said he has been learning with tutors since he arrived in St. Louis. Every day, he is tutored by volunteers in math and english. Zaquot is also registered in an online school full-time so he can continue with his education after returning back home.
“We send him to school during the day [since Zaquot has arrived],” Zalatimo said. “We believe in educating and giving [him] the mental support he needs. The psychiatrist who’s working with him specializes with children who have undergone trauma.”
After all the medical treatments are complete, Zaquot will return to Egypt along with his mother. HEAL Palestine will help cover all family expenses for a year in order to help them settle in.
“We will send them to Egypt because there’s no home left [for him] in Gaza,” Zalatimo said. “Gaza is demolished. We’re going to have to send them to Egypt, and hope to unite Hadi with his family there.”
Zaquot came to the U.S. in a wheelchair, unable to move, but after receiving his prosthetic leg and months of rigorous therapy for his arm and leg, his therapist said he has made significant progress. He is excited about his treatment coming to a close so he can finally reunite with his family in Gaza.
“HEAL Palestine has helped me in many ways, my treatments, surgeries, schooling and housing,” Zaquot said. “By the grace of God, hopefully, I [will] be able to walk again.”
