Mother feels 'helpless' as daughter trapped in Gaza

A Palestinian women who currently lives in Dundee has said she feels "helpless" as her young daughter is trapped in Gaza.

Israa Aljaish, 29, said her daughter, Marlin, was suffering "psychological trauma" from the sound of bombing.

Ms Aljaish came to Scotland in September 2022 to study for a Masters degree in International Education at the University of St Andrews, and had to leave five-year-old Marlin in the care of her grandmother.

She graduated in August and took a job as a postgraduate administrator with the university at the start of October, with plans to bring her daughter to the UK when the Israel-Hamas war began days later.

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According to Ms Aljaish's mother, Marlin has experienced trauma as a result of the conflict and is also suffering with fever, a "bad cough" and "no food and limited water".

Ms Aljaish told the PA news agency: "I'm here and I can see my daughter is dying every passing day and I'm here doing nothing, I just see that in front of my eyes.

"I know she has faced some psychological trauma because of the noise of the bombing next to the place they are sheltering in.

"It's not Marlin as I know Marlin - it's not the same person I knew before."

The temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was extended by another day, minutes before it was due to expire on Thursday, with the hope that Hamas will keep freeing hostages in return for the release of Palestinians.

Ms Aljaish said her daughter has been suffering nightmares as a result of the conflict.

About 1,200 people were killed and some 240 hostages taken when Hamas raided Israel on 7 October.

The Israeli military responded with air strikes on Gaza, and launched a ground offensive. More than 14,800 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run government.

A pause in fighting to allow the exchange of hostages for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons has been extended again.

More than 100,000 people have acute respiratory infections and 80,000 are suffering with diarrhoea, according to the World Health Organization. Half of those are said to be under the age of five.

When the war began on 7 October, Ms Aljaish said her family members relocated to southern Gaza from their home in the centre of the Strip.

She said: "She( Marlin) hears so many stories and she has terrible nightmares - she told me one of the nightmares was that she saw blood on my head."

Her daughter and mother are currently sheltering in a flat with her three brothers, her sister-in-law, her two nieces and her nephew.

She hoper her mother will be able to get to Egypt with her daughter and she can meet them there.

Ms Aljaish set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to secure an accelerated visa for her daughter to be able to leave Gaza at a cost of around £1,500.

She said she is in the process of applying for it, but added her daughter won't be able to leave without her grandmother, for fear of her facing "shock" and further trauma.

Ms Aljaish hopes the UK government will support her case in order to relocate her daughter to Scotland, where she said she believes Marlin can find "safety, security and a chance for a better future".

Her fundraiser, organised by one of her friends in the UK, has reached its target and raised more than £3,000 which prompted her to close the donations page for the time being.

Liberal Democrat MP, Wendy Chamberlain, has raised the case in parliament and said the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "perilous".

“It is hard to imagine how difficult it is for Israa to be separated from her young daughter in the current circumstances.

“My team and I have been pursuing every option to reunite this family. We have engaged with the Foreign Office and the Home Office, and I have raised Israa’s case in parliament.

“This is far from a straightforward process but continue to hope that a solution can be found and the government can be convinced to step in.”