Date of Statement: 18 August 2025

Nihad Nizar Ibrahim Hammouda, 40 years old, married, mother of five children, a resident of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, currently displaced in Gaza City.

I am married to Mr. Basel Hammouda, an employee at the Ministry of Interior in Gaza. We have five children: Moaz (23), Khamis (17), Ubaida (13), Saja (21), and Nour (19). I lived in northern Gaza City, specifically in Beit Lahia in the Western Roundabout area, in a three-storey house belonging to my husband’s family.

For years, I have suffered from cancer after being diagnosed with a brain tumour and have faced severe challenges in accessing proper treatment. In 2018, another tumour was discovered in my liver, causing intense suffering, frequent vomiting, and a sharp drop in blood pressure to as low as 80/40 mmHg.

After consultations with several doctors in Gaza and obtaining multiple medical opinions, I decided to seek treatment outside the Strip. I received a medical referral for treatment at Al-Najah Hospital in Nablus, West Bank, where I underwent surgery to remove the tumour and received post-operative care.

For several years, I have also suffered from a benign tumour pressing on my brain, forcing me to travel frequently between hospitals in the West Bank, Gaza, and Egypt for follow-up treatment. Despite our difficult financial situation and lack of resources to cover the expenses, I managed to continue treatment with the help of kind-hearted people and charitable donations.

Over time, and due to my decision not to remove the tumour from my head for fear of complications—such as its possible transformation from benign to malignant, or the risk of losing my life during surgery—I began to experience progressive vision loss. This forced me to travel at my own expense to Al-Sharq Hospital in Zagazig, Egypt, where doctors advised me that surgery to remove the tumour was the best solution. However, I refused.

I underwent two eye surgeries, which partially improved my vision, at a cost of around USD 2,000. The doctors also informed me that I needed a corneal transplant, but I could not afford the operation due to its high cost. Instead, they prescribed eye drops and vitamins, and scheduled a follow-up appointment for 9 October 2023.

The Outbreak of War

When war broke out on 7 October 2023, I could no longer continue my treatment. Our lives were turned upside down in an instant. Violent explosions and relentless bombardment woke us, signalling the start of a brutal war on the Gaza Strip.

From the very first hours, Israeli warplanes launched heavy airstrikes targeting mosques and homes, many of which collapsed on the heads of their residents—women, children, and the elderly—spreading fear and panic everywhere. We stood in shock, witnessing scenes of bombardment, killing, and destruction that spared no stone, tree, or soul.

On the first day of the war, one of our neighbours received a call from the Israeli army threatening to bomb a seven-storey residential building in half an hour, ordering the evacuation of the entire neighbourhood.

Panic and fear consumed us. My husband rushed to evacuate us with our children without being able to take any of our belongings. We fled wearing only the clothes we had on. The entire neighbourhood was paralysed by terror. We first sought refuge in my grandmother’s house in Beit Lahia, where we stayed for only six days.

But the shelling never ceased, and danger surrounded us from all directions. We decided to move to a UNRWA school, believing—as in previous wars—that schools would be safe shelters for the displaced. Thus, we moved to Al-Fakhoura School in Beit Lahia.

From the moment I arrived at the school, I witnessed horrifying scenes. Families fled their homes near border areas and military sites, seeking safety in nearby schools, escaping shelling and paralysing fear, unable to comprehend what was unfolding.

We stayed in a classroom shared with three other families, with only two blankets and two thin mattresses between us, living under harsh, inhumane conditions. After only three days, we could no longer bear the severe shortage of food, lack of clean water, and extreme overcrowding.