King Salman Center treats Yemeni child Alaa after Egypt Today, Youm7 publish her story

CAIRO – 27 April 2018: Children in Taiz in particular, and Yemen in general, had the largest share of the scourage of war. The story of the girl Alaa, two years old, is an example of this. She is the victim of indiscriminate bombardment and poor facilities in hospitals destroyed during the war . hospitals become mere empty buildings, without the necessary life-saving medical equipment. Alaa little body was penetrated by Shrapnel while she was playing in her house that led to the amputation of her left leg. She is the youngest witness of war’s crimes in Taez.

Wissam Abdul Fattah, the father of the girl -who works in a simple job in an electronics shop- recites the story, “On the first of November 2017 at 2 pm, Alaa was playing and crawling at home as usual, in the presence of her mother and brother. A mortar shell hit the house next door; the shrapnel broke the windows and Alaa was hit by shrapnel in the leg.” He continued, “I left work quickly, and we took her to Al-Thawra Hospital where they performed first aid to stop the bleeding. Then she was transferred to another hospital where the doctor decided to perform a leg operation and she was admitted to the operating room for 6 hours. We were told that the operation succeeded, but we were surprised the next morning by the doctor telling us that Alaa needs an amputation for her left leg. Her leg at the time has begun to turn black. We refused the doctor's decision to amputate her leg and took her to another hospital where she was examined by a doctor specialized in arteries and veins. He told us: "Unfortunately you are late. She needs an artery transplant, which will cost one million two hundred thousand riyals”.


Alaa, the Yemeni Girl

"We do not have anything. Friends helped us in the hospital, as they had to leave their weapons in order to complete the procedure of the operation. The girl was admitted to the operating room for 4 hours. The doctor came out to surprise us saying that the girl was not operated on previously, and that the veins were tied without taking our permission. The doctor tried to save her, and performed four operations, but each time the blood at the tip of her leg clots, and as a result a bleeding happens. Last time the doctor decided to amputate her leg in order to preserve the rest of her leg, noting that the other leg had four shrapnel, and was operated on for times.” The father went on to talk about the suffering under the Houthi’s bombardment, pointing out that there was no water, no electricity, no means of living, and Taiz was and still is suffering from the imposed siege. “You cannot leave the house because of the Houthi’s bombing that do not distinguish between the resistance elements and civilians, or between elderly and childen; everything that moves in the streets is a target of sniping by the militias. The militias prevented even the humanitarian aid from entering the city.


Alaa, the Yemeni Girl

He continued, “After my daughter’s accident, I felt helpless as I can’t do anything for her because of the circumstances, and I have nothing left to travel and treat her. The hardest thing is standing helpless before your kids.” He added, "We have suffered a lot due to the lack of medical staff in Taez'. He also confirmed that Alaa is one of tens of children who pay the price of Houthi's siege and their indiscriminate attacks against the unarmed civilians."


Alaa, the Yemeni Girl

That is a glimpse about Alaa's story that was published in Youm7 newspaper. Lately, we have seen the father filled with joy. His daughter is finally able to walk again. He said, "King Salman Center responded and called them. He offered treating her in Riad for free. We travelled and stayed there for three months where they did all the medical examinations needed. Then, they decided the date of the operation and the installation of the artificial limbs. After that, she got the physical therapy needed."


Alaa, the Yemeni Girl