By Ihab Rimawi
RAMALLAH, Wednesday, January 20, 2021 (WAFA) - Misk, still unborn, died in the womb of her seventh-month pregnant mother, Areej, due to complications she suffered as a result of inhaling and suffocating from teargas fired by the Israeli occupation army at her home in the village of al-Mughayyer, east of Ramallah, last week.
Misk's heart stopped last Thursday evening after her mother's health deteriorated and suffered severe bleeding and poisoning. She was admitted to the operating room twice in a row.
Areej Abu Alyya, 37, needed 50 blood units over the past few days, and she was kept in the intensive care unit all this time in a very serious health condition.
The Abu Alyya's house is located in a volatile area east of the village, which witnesses almost daily confrontations between the occupation army and the residents. More than 100 teargas canisters fall in the vicinity of the house every week.
Iyad Abu Alyya, Areej's husband, said: "We live in a very dangerous area. Teargas canisters are scattered around the house and inside it.
I can no longer collect them immediately to throw them away from children's reach." The occupation forces intentionally fire a barrage of teargas canisters at the houses in that area, forcing many residents to leave their homes even late at night.
"We will be deep asleep when we are suddenly awoken at the sound of a teargas grenade coming through the windows of the house. I rush to get my eight children out of the house despite the cold weather and put them in my truck to take them to the center of the village. We return home in the morning. This is something we do often, " said Iyad.
Last Thursday morning, there were small confrontations in the vicinity of the Abu Alyya house. The occupation forces responded by firing teargas canisters, most of which fell near his house leading to Areej suffering severe suffocation.
Areej was rushed to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah. Her condition was difficult and she was admitted to the operating room after doctors realized that the heart of her baby had stopped beating.
"Every week I take my children to the village doctor, all of them with severe symptoms as a result of inhaling teargas and suffering from a burn in the lungs, which causes them permanent vomiting, chest pain, and severe cough. It seems that the gas fired by the occupation forces is a new and toxic type, " said Iyad Abu Alyya.
A few meters away from the Abu Alyya house, 13-year-old Ali Abu Alyya was killed on December 4 by Israeli army gunfire, and less than 50 meters away, Hamdi al-Naasan was also shot dead by the soldiers on January 20, 2019.
The occupation forces have been targeting al-Mughayyer for a long time. Confrontations take place almost daily. Its entrances are closed by the army every now and then, and the occupation forces pursue its youth either by detaining them or shooting and either wounding or killing them.
M.K.
