At the beginning of 2009, an Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip was in full swing. Shells were flying and lives were lost at a rapid pace.
Six-year-old Baraa’ Abd al Rahman Badawi was woken by a loud explosion in the late afternoon of January 7, 2009. He was immediately inconsolable and kept crying. When his mother, Dima, entered his room, he was screaming that his father was dead.
After an hour, his family received the news that the boy’s father as well as his uncle had been killed in an explosion caused by targeted shelling. Ever since, the boy has been living in fear for the lives of the rest of his family. In 2013, his mother spoke during an interview and explained that her son still cried a lot, especially when someone mentioned war or fighting.
She went on to say that Baraa’ refused to make more friends and was perfectly happy with the single friend that he had at the time. He sometimes clings to his mother and when he hears planes overhead he locks himself in his bedroom. She also confirmed that the boy had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and lives in constant terror of war and death. Dima fears her son will never return to his happy self.
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