A mother's grief still lingers as the Rafah crossing in Gaza has finally reopened, but for her, it came too late. The crossing, which had been closed since 2018, was supposed to bring much-needed medical supplies and patients seeking life-saving treatment to the besieged territory.
For a young family like that of Ahmed Shihab, the wait would be almost unbearable - their three-year-old child had already fallen gravely ill while waiting for passage. The family had been desperately trying to reach Egypt, hoping to find help, but ultimately their hopes were crushed when they learned too late that their son wouldn't survive.
"I never thought I'd see my little boy again," Ahmed Shihab said through tears, recounting his last moments with his child. "The crossing finally opened, and we had one hour to make it there, but it was just a moment in time - my heart is still shattered."
A mother's love can move mountains, yet sometimes even the strongest will not be enough. The closure of Rafah has left many families in a desperate situation with no hope for medical treatment or respite.
The family visited a field hospital near the crossing point and spent just one hour before returning home with their child who was beyond help by that time.
For a young family like that of Ahmed Shihab, the wait would be almost unbearable - their three-year-old child had already fallen gravely ill while waiting for passage. The family had been desperately trying to reach Egypt, hoping to find help, but ultimately their hopes were crushed when they learned too late that their son wouldn't survive.
"I never thought I'd see my little boy again," Ahmed Shihab said through tears, recounting his last moments with his child. "The crossing finally opened, and we had one hour to make it there, but it was just a moment in time - my heart is still shattered."
A mother's love can move mountains, yet sometimes even the strongest will not be enough. The closure of Rafah has left many families in a desperate situation with no hope for medical treatment or respite.
The family visited a field hospital near the crossing point and spent just one hour before returning home with their child who was beyond help by that time.
... I mean, can you even imagine having to wait like 7 years for something as simple as medical supplies? It's just ridiculous. And then to lose a kid in the process... it's just too much. Ahmed Shihab's story is really breaking my heart right now 
... how are people supposed to cope with that kind of pain and uncertainty? It's not fair to families like his who are already going through so much. The reopening of Rafah crossing should've made a huge difference, but it just came too late for some people.
. this whole thing is just so sad, hope the family gets some sort of support from the gov or NGOs...this closure of Rafah crossing has got to be one of the worst examples of how tech 'progress' can't replace human compassion 
. I mean, can't they have given more notice? A mom's gotta plan her whole day around hope and then BAM! You're told it's open for only an hour. And what about all the people who were stuck waiting for years?! The thought of a 3-yr-old going without treatment is just... *sigh* 
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... can you imagine having to wait 7 whole years for something as basic as medical supplies? It's like, what even is the point of being a "mother" if you're not gonna get to see your kid live? 
It's like they're saying "oh, sorry not sorry" to all the families struggling to get treatment. Anyway, glad the crossing is open now... can't wait to see how many more lives it gets to ruin in the process 
... I mean I get that medical supplies are super important, but what about all the families like Ahmed's who have been waiting 7 years to get some help? didn't the reopening of the crossing count as "help"? I guess you could say it was a bit too little, too late 
. I'm not trying to be unsympathetic or anything, but come on... can't we just get it together to support these families properly for once? 
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it's just heartbreaking to hear the mom's story and know that her love wasn't enough to save her child 
. And what's the deal with field hospitals anyway? Are they even equipped to handle emergencies like that? I don't wanna sound negative, but it just feels like they're setting ppl up for failure 
the fact that they were only given an hour to make it to egpy is insane how are ppl sposed to cope wthat kinda stress & anxiety?? i mean i no it's a blessing that the crossing finally opened but 4 some ppl like ahmed shihab, it's just too little, too late 
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. The closure of Rafah crossing was supposed to help them, but instead it feels like another heavy blow 
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How many more can we lose before change happens?
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Okay, not funny at all 
. The thing that really gets me is how the Rafah crossing finally reopened, but it came too late for them. It's like, the wait must've been torture for his family, especially with their little one so sick 
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