In Gaza, children who survive Israel's assault face a lifetime of trauma
Osama Muhammad Abu Mustafa was convinced he would become an international soccer superstar.
Osama Muhammad Abu Mustafa was convinced he would become an international soccer superstar. Playing on a local team at the municipal stadium in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, he envisioned a future “like Ronaldo.” He was 13.
Even in the midst of war, he worked hard at fulfilling his dream. He was practicing soccer with his cousins when the bombs fell.
“I had the ball — and then a missile fell,” he told NBC News’ crew on the ground in Gaza in an interview in his home, where he was still recovering months after the July 3 airstrike.
What happened next is a blur, he said. But when he woke up, he was in a hospital bed, where he learned that one of his cousins, his aunt and her husband had been killed.
He had also lost his left leg.
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