Scarred by war, children who left Gaza face uncertain future

Questions linger on whether they can ever go home or if they should apply for asylum

- Laura Boushnak and Alan Yuhas

Italian summer camp children peppered Shaymaa Shady, six, with questions about how she lost her leg. "Ha fatto la guerra," one child said. She went to war.

Urgently needing medical care, she and 15 other children evacuated from the Gaza Strip months ago.

Sarah Yusuf, six, her pelvis broken in an Israeli strike, can now play without limping.

Ahmad al-Saafen, four, is still learning to use his new leg, a replacement for one he lost under Israeli bombardment over a year ago.

Baian Azoum was pulled from Gaza's rubble in critical condition. She faces nearly two years of treatment ahead, only four years old in an unfamiliar land.

The children and their caretakers know little of the language or the culture. They know even less of what may happen to them or their loved ones in the months to come.

They do know war.

Sixteen young people, all but one younger than 15, were evacuated from Gaza to Italy early in 2024 after sustaining dire injuries in the war there between Israel and Hamas. The airlifts were the result of painstaking negotiations between aid groups and several governments, including Israel, Egypt and Italy, and each of the wounded was accompanied by a caretaker, usually a relative.

Some of the children had limbs amputated to save their lives. Many will bear scars for life. Most have lost family members and left behind others whose safety is uncertain. All face uncertain futures, with questions about whether there will ever be a home to return to or if they should apply for asylum.

"Italy is beautiful, but I need support," said Ms Lina Gamal, Shaymaa's aunt and caretaker, listing the many family members she left behind. "As long as I have no one around me, it's nothing."