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“I’m Scared of the World”: The Story of Aziz, an 8 Year Old Palestinian Boy Who Lost Both His Feet in an Israeli Airstrik in Gaza. Sujood Al-Shamharawi, a physiotherapist at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, has shared the heartbreaking story of Aziz, an eight yea old boy whose family’s tent was bombed in an Israeli airstrike. His father and brother were killed. Aziz and his mother sustained severe injuries and were both admitted to intensive care. Between mother and son, only one foot remains. It belongs to his mother. Aziz lost both of his feet, in addition to suffering severe burns and multiple injuries across his body. Sujood recounts that on the first day, Aziz could not fully comprehend his injuries. He could still feel his amputated feet as though they were still there. On the second day, she began his lower-limb rehabilitation exercises. She asked him to move his legs and prepare to sit on the edge of the bed. He replied that they hurt. Then he pulled back the blanket and saw that his right foot was gone. His eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at Sujood, waiting for her to tell him that what he was seeing was not true, that another foot would grow in its place. She held him and told him he could cry if he wanted to. But Aziz did not cry. He did not scream. He did not move. His little burned face remained frozen in shock. Sujood tried to comfort him, telling him that they would get him prosthetic limbs and that he would play again and return to his life. But he did not respond. Then he pulled back the blanket covering his other foot. It, too, was gone. He looked at her again, searching for an answer. She told him the truth: both his feet had been amputated. His father had been killed, and his mother was severely injured. Sujood held him, but she knew she could never replace his parents. Since that moment, she says, Aziz trembles whenever she approaches him. She asks whether he is cold or afraid. He answers: “I’m scared.” When she asks what he is afraid of, his answer is devastating: “Of the world.” Sujood reflects on the many children who discovered their amputations in front of her. Not one of them cried or screamed. She says this is not bravery or resilience. It is the deepest and cruellest form of shock. Then came another heartbreaking moment. Before being taken into surgery, Aziz’s injured mother was brought to his hospital bed to say goodbye. She told her eight year old son: “Stay strong, sweetheart. For my sake.” Aziz is eight years old. He has lost his father, his brother, and both his feet. His mother is severely injured. And now, he is afraid of the world. Documented by Sujood Al-Shamharawi, Physiotherapist at Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza. November 3, 2026.