ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A boy from Gaza has arrived in St. Louis to get medical care after losing his leg in an Israeli missile attack. He's the first of potentially many to come to Missouri through the nonprofit organization HEAL Palestine.
In a 5 On Your Side exclusive, Annie Krall sat down with 12-year-old Hadi Zaqout, his mother, Kamilia Zaqout, and the volunteers who helped bring him here.
Hadi is getting treatment at Shriners Children's Hospital in St. Louis. He's one of 12 children from Palestine who came to the United States for medical treatment last Monday as Israeli airstrikes continue in the aftermath of the Hamas militant killings.
The attacks have led to droves of people leaving Gaza for refuge after more than 36,000 people have been killed there.
It took six months of prep work for Hadi to arrive with Kamilia at St. Louis-Lambert Airport on Monday, May 20. It was a long process of organizing personal documents, getting government approval and securing free medical care for the boy wounded in central Gaza.
The Zaqouts have spent a week in St. Louis and don't speak English yet but spoke through translator Lina Warrad about the Nov. 15 airstrike that literally hit home.
Remembering that day "he said it took him from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., waiting in line for three hours to get water," Warrad said on behalf of Hadi. "At 12 p.m., he got the water and he's walking back to his home and right in front of his home, that's where the missile hit, the bombing."
The missile buried his father in rubble. Thankfully, Hadi's dad is still alive and using crutches back in Palestine. Hadi had his left leg severely injured.
His mother vividly remembered how "the doctors upon examining him realized that the powder from the missile was poisoning the actual bone and ligaments in his leg," Warrad translated for Kamilia. "They didn't want that to spread any further. That's why they had to amputate his leg."
The non-profit HEAL Palestine helped temporarily bring Hadi to the United States to receive a prosthetic leg at Shriners. They now call Kirkwood home with HEAL Palestine volunteer Ala'a Ibrahim and her host family.
However, Kamilia left six children behind in Gaza, the youngest being 3, so that Hadi could travel with a female relative.
"The female has to be either his mother or his grandmother," Warrad said on behalf of Kamilia. "He doesn't have a grandmother. So, I had to make that difficult decision. I had to take that step and just make sure, she said, his situation at that time was very, very difficult and she wanted him to have a fair chance at regaining his health."
Prayers continued on May 26 in the Ibrahim's house for the thousands of injured Palestinian children and severely damaged health care system.
When Krall asked about the major differences between what life is like in Gaza compared to Kirkwood, Warrad said Kamilia described it as something that is "going to be very difficult to explain the situation for you the way it is."
"There is no life in Gaza," Warrad translated for Kamilia.
It's extremely different from their new life in the St. Louis area, swimming and hanging out with friends this weekend, Warrad added.
One of Hadi's favorite parts of St. Louis, is that "the people are very nice and kind here," Hadi said through Warrad.
HEAL Palestine is potentially bringing more injured children to Missouri. The Zaqouts are planning to stay in Kirkwood for about six months as Hadi gets fitted for his new prosthetic leg and goes through physical therapy.
When he gets better and grows up, Hadi wants to be a video game designer.
If you're interested in donating to HEAL Palestine, you can click on this link here.
There will also be a St. Louis Trivia Night for Gaza to benefit HEAL on June 1 from 6-8 p.m. at Dar Aljalal Masjid, the Islamic Center of Hazelwood at 8945 Dunn Rd in Hazelwood.