Evacuated Palestinians face tough adjustment in Greece

RAGHAD al-Fara is struggling to rebuild her teenage life in Athens, not least because she now moves around with crutches because of injuries suffered in the Gaza war.

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Evacuated from the besieged Palestinian territory in February she now lives in a shelter for refugee women. "I never thought I would survive, let alone set foot on European soil," the 15-year-old said.

Raghad is one of 10 Gazan minors suffering from "complex" orthopaedic and psychological injuries, according to Heracles Moskoff, secretary general for vulnerable persons at the migration ministry.

Injured during an Israeli bombing, she was evacuated with her mother Shadia and her younger sister Argwan. The rest of the family - three other children and the father - remain in Gaza.

In total, 26 Palestinians arrived in Athens at the end of February, according to the Greek foreign ministry.

"When we learnt that Greece agreed to host us, it was a relief," said Shadia al-Fara, the teenager's mother.

Sara Al-Sweirki, 20, who now also lives in Athens, is determined to "not just be a survivor."

"I want to be a girl my age like others, learn guitar and piano, and study," stressed the young woman, who left Gaza in September with her mother and brother.