Published : 22-10-2018
The seven-year warfare rocking the Syrian territories have forced Palestinian refugees, most notably children and the elderly, to endure terrible experiences and witness nightmarish scenes that far exceed one’s capacity to get to grips with them.
With scenes of destruction, bloodshed, displacement, and death occurring around the clock, elderly Palestinian refugees have gone traumatized.
Palestinian refugee Abdullah Mohamed, aged 68, suffers major depressive disorders after his family home and two shops have been reduced to rubble in the warfare.
Once a successful business owner, Abdaullah Mohamed lived surrounded by his family in Yarmouk refugee camp. Conflict has ravaged Syria in recent years and Abdullah lost his home, shops and family as a result of the unrest. At the age of 68, Abdaullah is now scrambling to find a job to support himself.
Following the destructive onslaughts launched on the camp in 2012, Abdullah and his two sons have sought shelter in AlHajar AlAswad neighborhood. The warfare took away the life of his youngest son, leaving him in a state of unparalleled despair.
“My heart shattered,” he recalls, with tears running down his cheeks. Abdullah and his only surviving son continue to live under siege, often staving off hunger by eating grass.
Abdaullah, who now lives in a small room in al-Zahira, recently returned to Yarmouk to visit his home and shops, which were largely destroyed in April 2018. “Most of the buildings are just mounds of rubble now. I failed to recognize my home and my neighborhood in all that rubble. I feel numb about it. It is heartbreaking to lose everything,” he says.
At the start of the conflict Abdullah dreamt of returning to his home and his re-uniting with his family. Nowadays he is not sure what the future holds.
When Abdullah was able to escape the besieged area of Hajjar AlAswad, he was hit with severe depression. He visited an UNRWA health clinic and was provided anti-depressants to manage the symptoms of depression. Today, he says he knows how to cope, despite missing his family dearly.
Like hundreds of other refugees, Abdullah tries to keep his spirits up, telling his wife and daughter that he is fine on his almost daily calls to Lebanon. “Loneliness is hard. You cannot imagine how hard it is. I wish I could see them,” he sighs. He has not seen his wife for six years.
Travel to Lebanon is impossible due to travel restrictions. “I cannot wait to kiss and hug my eight-year-old granddaughter. She was only a few months old when she left for Lebanon,” he says. “The hope of meeting my family one day strengthens my resilience and provides me with courage.”
The seven-year warfare rocking the Syrian territories have forced Palestinian refugees, most notably children and the elderly, to endure terrible experiences and witness nightmarish scenes that far exceed one’s capacity to get to grips with them.
With scenes of destruction, bloodshed, displacement, and death occurring around the clock, elderly Palestinian refugees have gone traumatized.
Palestinian refugee Abdullah Mohamed, aged 68, suffers major depressive disorders after his family home and two shops have been reduced to rubble in the warfare.
Once a successful business owner, Abdaullah Mohamed lived surrounded by his family in Yarmouk refugee camp. Conflict has ravaged Syria in recent years and Abdullah lost his home, shops and family as a result of the unrest. At the age of 68, Abdaullah is now scrambling to find a job to support himself.
Following the destructive onslaughts launched on the camp in 2012, Abdullah and his two sons have sought shelter in AlHajar AlAswad neighborhood. The warfare took away the life of his youngest son, leaving him in a state of unparalleled despair.
“My heart shattered,” he recalls, with tears running down his cheeks. Abdullah and his only surviving son continue to live under siege, often staving off hunger by eating grass.
Abdaullah, who now lives in a small room in al-Zahira, recently returned to Yarmouk to visit his home and shops, which were largely destroyed in April 2018. “Most of the buildings are just mounds of rubble now. I failed to recognize my home and my neighborhood in all that rubble. I feel numb about it. It is heartbreaking to lose everything,” he says.
At the start of the conflict Abdullah dreamt of returning to his home and his re-uniting with his family. Nowadays he is not sure what the future holds.
When Abdullah was able to escape the besieged area of Hajjar AlAswad, he was hit with severe depression. He visited an UNRWA health clinic and was provided anti-depressants to manage the symptoms of depression. Today, he says he knows how to cope, despite missing his family dearly.
Like hundreds of other refugees, Abdullah tries to keep his spirits up, telling his wife and daughter that he is fine on his almost daily calls to Lebanon. “Loneliness is hard. You cannot imagine how hard it is. I wish I could see them,” he sighs. He has not seen his wife for six years.
Travel to Lebanon is impossible due to travel restrictions. “I cannot wait to kiss and hug my eight-year-old granddaughter. She was only a few months old when she left for Lebanon,” he says. “The hope of meeting my family one day strengthens my resilience and provides me with courage.”
