Wounded Gazan Teens Rebuild Lives in Athens as Families Face Gaps in Support

Fifteen-year-old Raghad al-Fara is trying to rebuild a teenage life in Athens while relying on crutches after injuries sustained in the Gaza war. Evacuated from the blockaded Palestinian territory in February, she now lives in a shelter for refugee women and is learning to adapt to a new life far from home.

Raghad is among 10 Gazan minors identified by Heracles Moskoff, the migration ministry's secretary general for vulnerable persons, as suffering from "complex" orthopaedic and psychological injuries. She was badly hurt in a July 2024 bombing in Khan Younis that crushed her right leg and back beneath building rubble. "For two months, my daughter was on a respirator and for seven months, bedridden, unable to move," her mother, Shadia al-Fara, recalled.

On arrival in Greece, Raghad received care from an orthopaedist and a physiotherapist at a children's hospital, but essential items and long-term rehabilitation have been slow to arrive. The family waited months for a support belt, and Shadia — a former hairdresser — had to find orthopaedic shoes on her own. "Greece took responsibility for us but then abandoned us," she said, adding that the Greek state provides no regular financial assistance.

In total, 26 Palestinians arrived in Athens at the end of February. Community leaders in Athens have urged the government to accept and support more injured Gazans, but Palestinian official Latif Darwesh said there is "no political will" from the current administration. Many in the local Palestinian community recall earlier periods when Greece hosted students and refugees, but officials say public sympathy has not translated into broader government action.

Not all evacuees are only seeking medical recovery. Twenty-year-old Sara Al-Sweirki, who left Gaza in September with her mother and brother, has been accepted by Deree American College in Athens and will begin studies in January. "I want to be not just a survivor," she said. Sara plans to study psychology to "help others overcome their traumas." Meanwhile, Shadia has enrolled her daughters in Greek schools, hoping to give them stability while their future remains uncertain.

"We cannot return to live under tents with the fear of bombings resuming!" Shadia said, describing her desire to bring her other three children out of Gaza but feeling powerless to do so.

Public sympathy for Palestinians in Greece has grown since the events of October 2023, and a recent study by the Greek research group aboutpeople found that 74 percent of Greeks would support recognising a Palestinian state. Still, a truce that came into effect on October 10 did not mean reconstruction, and families here say long-term medical care, psychological support and financial help remain urgent priorities.

What’s needed: faster access to rehabilitation equipment and medical supplies, consistent psychological support for traumatised children, and clearer state assistance programs to help families rebuild their lives while their relatives remain in Gaza.