Mohammed Abo Aseker is among the many airlifted to Türkiye from Egypt after fleeing Israeli attacks with injuries. A volunteer for the Turkish Red Crescent in Gaza for nine years, Aseker yearns to return home or to what is left of it.
In an interview, he recalled the moment he was injured. Aseker had stepped out of his house to buy milk when the bombing occurred. The explosion flung him to the ground.
"I tried to get up but I couldn't. I heard the loud bang and I crawled to a door nearby. "The owner of the house took me in ... They bandaged my wound. An ambulance took me to the hospital." His surgery took place under exceptional circumstances. "My surgery was done on the floor. I had lost a lot of blood. The bone in one of my legs had crushed due to shrapnel and as a result one of my legs was 5 centimeters shorter than the other. "Then I was brought to Türkiye for treatment. I underwent physical therapy and now I can walk with the support of a cane," he said.
Aseker expressed his gratitude to Türkiye, "First of all, may Allah bless Türkiye. The aid sent by Türkiye reaches the people of Gaza."
He urged the global community to speak out against the atrocities Israel is committing in Palestine. "The world needs to say 'enough' now. Palestine wants peace; we don't want war anymore. This much bloodshed and tears are enough."
Amid the dark clouds of war, his ray of hope was his baby boy, Aser, who was born in Türkiye. He has three other children named Ismet, Lilyan and Talya.
"This joy has revived our dreams. With the arrival of my child, I wish for peace and happiness to come. We have gone through very difficult days, but since coming to Türkiye, we have started to find happiness. Our second happiness is our baby," he said.
Aseker also has Turkish citizenship. He grew up in Istanbul where his father worked as a doctor. In 2015, he returned to Gaza as a translator for the Turkish Red Crescent.
He said years of war have destroyed Gaza and deprived its children of hope. "Children are losing lives to constant bombing. War is their new normal. When a bomb strikes, they tell their families: 'Don't worry. That bomb was far away.'"
"Everything changed in this last war; they lost their dreams. They cannot go outside anymore, they cannot play games and their mental health is severely affected. When they hear the sound of rockets, they immediately cover their ears and start crying," he added.
"I don't want to leave Gaza; Palestine is my country. I want Gaza to be the future for my children. I want my children to live peacefully in their own country. I want to return to Gaza."
He also stressed that he doesn't want his children to suffer from the pain he has suffered.
"When I was in the hospital, a close friend lost his life in an Israeli bombing. I couldn't even attend his funeral. His family couldn't see him or bid farewell. Every other Palestinian family suffers like this.
"I want to experience the joy of returning to my homeland once my treatment is completed. Hopefully, I will recover well, finish my treatment and be able to walk properly. I want to return to Gaza, resume my work and help my people," he said.
