Adam: a child facing genocide, bullying, and now the risk of losing his sight thanks to Israel

At the age of five, Adam Abu Halib knew his way around his friends very well. He would run, laugh, and stumble like any other child his age. Today, he stands in the same place, but with hesitant steps and one eye cautiously observing the world, as if trying to understand what has suddenly changed.

Adam’s life has changed forever

Laughing is no longer easy, nor is playing safe. His friends who used to run with him are now distancing themselves from him, and some are even running away from him. In a small voice laden with questions beyond his years, Adam tells the Canary:

My friends are afraid of me… and they are running away from me. What did I do to deserve this?

In an instant, the bombing changed everything. The Israeli attack targeted his family’s home, and Adam lost his left eye and suffered severe damage to his face. At that same moment, his older brother was killed, and his mother was seriously injured, resulting in the amputation of her left foot. Today, his mother is receiving treatment abroad, while Adam remains in Gaza, facing his pain alone.

But Adam’s pain is no longer just physical. In his small community, he has become a target of bullying and ostracism, as if his injury has become a crime.

More seriously, doctors warn of a real threat that could rob him of what little sight he has left, as he faces the risk of losing his right eye due to pressure from the previous injury. With limited medical resources within the Strip, doctors are unable to provide the specialised treatment he needs to save his sight.

Despite the ongoing efforts of medical teams, the danger remains. War-torn Gaza lacks the facilities for delicate eye surgery, reconstruction and long-term treatment, while the blockade prevents thousands of critical cases from being transferred for treatment outside the territory.

His case is no exception.

Adam’s case is sadly not unusual.

According to reports by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 34,000 Palestinian children have been injured to varying degrees in the Gaza Strip since the war began in October 2023 until mid-2025, many of them with complex injuries requiring specialised and long-term treatment. UN data indicates that more than 50,000 children were killed or injured during this war, in one of the bloodiest disasters against children in modern times.

Behind these figures, thousands of injured children face a harsh reality: destroyed hospitals, acute shortages of medicines and equipment, and an almost complete lack of psychological support, in addition to a blockade that stifles opportunities for treatment outside the Strip. Medical and human rights estimates indicate that thousands of children are in urgent need of referrals for eye and nerve surgery and reconstruction, as well as specialised psychological care — services that are no longer available in Gaza today.

Against this backdrop, Adam’s story seems like a race against time. Every day that passes without treatment brings him one step closer to losing his second eye and to a world of even greater darkness. Saving Adam is not a matter of appearance or cosmetics, but a matter of life and dignity, and a child’s right to be seen as a child – not as another casualty of war.

Featured image via the Canary