GAZA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Every morning after waking up, Sama Tubail, an 8-year-old Palestinian girl in the Gaza Strip, would hold a broken mirror to check if her hair has grown back.
"It seems that my hair would never return to normal. I'm so sad that I've lost it and become bald," the little girl lamented.
Tubail still had her long hair five months ago. She used to style it out, making her the focus of attention among her friends.
At that time, she loved to play with her friends, which she told Xinhua could help her overcome fear amidst continuous Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave.
Then, out of the blue, her life was turned upside down one day, as the Israeli army attacked a house near her family's tent in Rafah in southern Gaza and forced her family to flee to the Indonesian Field Hospital in the city.
"I woke up over the terrifying sound of the huge explosion near us. Without taking my time to realize what was happening, my father carried me with my sister and ran into the streets, asking my mom to follow him," the girl recalled.
"I heard his racing heartbeats. I was terrified and felt that death was chasing us," she said, her voice cracking. "We arrived at the hospital to hide inside it. We thought that it was a safe place, but the army attacked its roof and we spent our night under persistent Israeli attacks."
Luckily, Tubail and her family survived the attack and moved to Khan Younis, another city in southern Gaza, as they thought it would be safer. But explosions did not stop and the little girl feared she would die at any moment.
To not disturb her parents, the child decided not to cry and to keep her fear to herself. And a few days later, Tubail was shocked to witness excessive hair loss when combing her hair. She could bear it no longer and started crying for her mother.
"In three days only, my child lost about 80 percent of her hair. I took her to many doctors for help. All of them told me that her treatment is not available in Gaza," Om Mohammed, Tubail's mother, told Xinhua.
"What sin did my child commit to be punished like this? None of the children have to witness such a catastrophic situation," said the 39-year-old mother of three.
For Om Mohammed, the most difficult part was when her crying daughter came to her and asked her if she got cancer.
"I cannot stand the tears of my daughter. I told her that her hair would return soon. All the time, I tell her that she is the most beautiful girl in this world," the woman said.
Amidst a lack of medical supplies in Gaza due to Israel's ongoing siege on the enclave, there is no treatment available for Tubail locally. Therefore, Om Mohammed appealed for help and hoped her daughter could be sent abroad for treatment.
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023.
According to a statement released by Gaza-based health authorities on Sunday, the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the enclave has risen to 40,738.
"Unfortunately, children are paying a high price for this war," Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network in the Gaza Strip, told Xinhua.
"All the children in Gaza have been suffering psychological trauma which negatively affected their health conditions and even their life," Shawa said.
"Some children were infected with various diseases as a result of their psychological trauma and some others, like Tubail, lost their hair, and this is a normal result of the dire conditions they are experiencing now," he said.
Tubail's birthday falls on Oct. 5. For the little girl, one of her biggest wishes is to regrow her hair before her birthday.
"Even if I will not be able to celebrate this year, I wish I can do it next year if the war ends and I can travel for treatment," the girl said.■
