If you had asked Sara Bsaiso about her aspirations a year ago, she would have said she wanted to finish her senior year of high school, complete her final exams, and enroll in college or university.

Sadly, those dreams were shattered when Sara became one of the over 12,000 children and teenagers in the Gaza Strip who have been hurt since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began.

Sara suffered severe third-degree burns to much of her body and went months with limited medical care before she was able to be medically evacuated to the United States, she told
. Two of her brothers were killed in the same strike that injured her, she said.

Now, residing in a New Jersey home, having undergone over a dozen surgical procedures and with several more planned, her primary goal is recovery and achieving stability.

"When I was 17 years old, I had one dream and, now that I am 18 years old, my dreams have changed," she told
in Arabic. "My life goals have changed and the way [I] look at dreams in general has changed. The one thing I want right now is stability."

'I realized I am on fire'

On October 7th, the day Hamas carried out terror attacks in southern Israel, Sara, then 17 years old, was in her final year of high school. Sara stated that she had school in the morning and, as she was awaiting her ride, she heard a noise that she initially believed was thunder.

"My father responded, 'No, those are rockets striking Tel Aviv,' and we all exchanged bewildered glances," Sara described. "I accessed WhatsApp to inquire with my friends if they had heard the same sounds. Everyone was puzzled, and one of my teachers … was already at school. We informed her that the sounds were growing louder. [She said], 'You should go home.' That was the last time I communicated with her, this teacher."

Sara shared that her father deemed the situation in their residence in Rimal, a neighborhood in Gaza City situated in the north, too risky. Consequently, he instructed the family to leave their home. Sara packed a bag containing her school uniform and some clothes and, along with her eight siblings, they traveled to their grandmother's house, which was also in Rimal.

They remained there for approximately a week before the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued notices to civilians instructing them to evacuate, Sara recounted. Subsequently, they traveled to Rafah, located in southern Gaza, where they stayed for six days before returning to their grandmother's home.

On December 7th, the day of her injury, Sara mentioned that she had recently gotten a haircut and her 15-year-old brother, Ahmed, was outside preparing bread.

"I was simply moving [my hair] back and forth," she explained. "We were all in the living room, and I was just asking everyone for their opinion on my new haircut. 'What do you think of my hair? Do you notice any difference?'"

Sara reported that Ahmed entered the house and asked if she could bring her younger brother, Mohammed, inside. Mohammed was frightened by the sounds of "fighting" outside.

Sara proceeded to the area where her 8-year-old brother was and began to soothe him.

"I am at the door embracing him, reassuring him, 'You are strong, don't be frightened,'" she reminisced. "Suddenly, as I turned around, I felt an intense heat behind me. I took a moment to examine my arms, my legs, and questioned myself, 'Where am I?' It was then that I realized I was actually on fire."

The family reported that a missile strike had targeted the courtyard of Sara's grandmother's residence -- and Sara had been caught in the resulting explosion.

"It took me a moment to comprehend. By then, the slippers on my feet were melting, making it impossible for me to run," she stated. "I simply kept attempting to flee. .... When I reached the doorway, I could no longer move. Consequently, I was about to collapse as my legs were melting."

Sara recounted that she felt her father grasp her as she fell to the ground. She could sense water being poured on her and heard her brother, Mohammed, yelling. At that moment, Sara interpreted his cries as a sign that he was still alive. What she didn't realize was that he had also sustained severe burns.

Ahmed passed away immediately, and Mohammed succumbed to his injuries about a week later, as confirmed by the family.

In the meantime, Sara sustained third-degree burns covering approximately 60% of her body.

As of July 23, it is estimated that at least one quarter -- or 22,500 -- of those injured in Gaza have sustained "life-altering injuries" that will necessitate rehabilitation services for potentially years, the WHO reported during a briefing on Thursday . Major limb injury is the most prevalent injury, followed by amputation, burns, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries, according to the WHO.

Third-degree burns affect the outer skin layer, the middle skin layer, and the layer of fat beneath it. A third-degree burn can also damage sweat glands, hair follicles, and nerve endings, requiring professional medical treatment.

In Gaza, where the healthcare system is on the brink of collapse , receiving proper medical attention is significantly more challenging.

"For the first two days, I didn't have any medication in my system," Sara shared. "I couldn't feel any pain. All I wanted to do was sleep. I was shivering from the cold. Then my condition worsened, and I developed a [104 F] fever. I couldn't speak and was trembling uncontrollably."

Sara's family managed to find medication, but she learned it had expired. When Sara noticed her leg turning green -- a telltale sign of gangrene -- visiting doctors alerted her family that her wounds were infected.

Sara mentioned that her family secured an ambulance during the fighting to transport her to a Jordanian field hospital operating in Gaza, where she remained for a few days before returning to her grandmother's residence. Doctors provided medication, but Sara noted the hospital was overwhelmed with war-related injuries as well as individuals seeking shelter.

"I understand the Jordanian hospital is better than no treatment at all, but it was excruciating," Sara admitted. "There were instances where they couldn't operate on me promptly. The dressings often came undone or weren't strong enough, resulting in pus leakage."

Sara's burn wounds repeatedly reopened, rendering her unable to walk. Consequently, she was carried on a stretcher or transported by ambulance, her family explained. Despite bandages, Sara reported discomfort due to the lack of proper medicine or ointment for her wounds. Her family indicated that while surgery was not performed at a Gaza hospital, medical staff would administer anesthesia when changing dressings, as their resources allowed.

Israel has stated its objective is to eliminate Hamas, alleging that Hamas utilizes schools, hospitals, and civilian structures " as a platform for terrorist activities ." Israeli officials further assert that the IDF endeavors to minimize civilian casualties. Hamas has refuted claims of operating from civilian buildings and has condemned any Israeli attacks leading to civilian deaths.

The IDF did not respond to
' request for comment on the alleged attack that led to Sara's injuries or on the war itself.

The months-long journey to evacuate Sara

Images and videos documenting Sara's experience began to circulate on social media platforms. These eventually reached Steve Sosebee, the founder of HEAL Palestine. This non-profit organization was established in January with the goal of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza.

"A friend of mine in Dubai saw her story on social media and forwarded to me and asked if we could help, considering that she was stuck in the north and that she was not able to go south and get treatment, get access to medical care at all," he told
.

Sosebee mentioned that the team in Gaza contacted Sara's family to arrange her evacuation from Gaza City to southern Gaza and then to cross into Egypt. The family decided that her sister, Seham Besaiso, would accompany her.

Sara and Seham left their grandmother's home on January 21st and headed towards the Rafah border, Sara mentioned.

When they arrived at the border that night, the guards couldn't find their names on the list of those authorized to cross, according to Sara.

"We tried to find a hospital where I could stay until we could leave," Sara shared. "We stayed at a hospital, I can't recall the name, but it was chaotic. People were losing their lives on the floor, others were sleeping on the floor, some were struggling to breathe. It wasn't a place to be with an open wound."

"Seham and I were overwhelmed with emotion, unsure how to proceed. The ambulance driver was incredibly compassionate and secured us a space in a medical tent located in the southern area," she added.

The following morning, after waiting at the border for several hours, Sara mentioned that the border guards discovered their names on a list, allowing them to cross into Egypt. They remained in Egypt for 17 days.

Sosebee stated that HEAL Palestine secured visas for the sisters and coordinated with Northwell Health Burn Care Center in Staten Island to treat Sara's injuries. He assisted Northwell in sending a medical team to Egypt to assess Sara's condition and determine if she could be transferred from the hospital and flown to the United States on a commercial flight.

The team "concluded that air travel on a commercial flight was not feasible due to the severity of her injuries and her current condition," Sosebee stated.

The Northwell medical team determined that Sara required a specialized medical evacuation flight, Sosebee explained. HEAL Palestine partnered with another organization to help cover the cost of this charter flight, and they initiated a social media campaign to raise funds.

The group was able to raise over $180,000 to cover the charter flight costs, along with additional funds for her medical bills in Egypt and some of her U.S. medical expenses. Northwell also agreed to cover a significant portion of her costs, Sosebee stated.

Sara is one of 21 children with medical needs that HEAL Palestine has helped evacuate, according to Sosebee, and one of 5,000 people evacuated for treatment outside Gaza since October 2023, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) .

"When we all came together and collaborated on this, we were able to arrange a plane, raise the necessary funds, and get [Sara] and her sister .... on that flight and en route to the U.S.," Sosebee said. "The financial aspect is secondary to the health and our commitment to do everything we can to provide her with the medical care she needs. This is minimal compared to the extensive treatment Northwell provided."

Receiving care leads to dancing down a hallway

The journey lasted 24 hours, and Sara and Seham arrived in the U.S. on February 6th.

Seham said visitors are typically not permitted to spend the night in the burn center due to infection control protocols, but they allowed her to stay on Sara's first night.

"On the first day Sara was in Egypt, she wasn't sleeping ... so it was on my mind when I first arrived here to America that Sara isn't going to sleep," Seham told
. "[But] while I was talking to her, I looked at her and saw she had fallen asleep."

At the burn center, Sara underwent multiple skin grafting procedures, where healthy skin from one area of the body is transplanted to another.

When severe open wounds go untreated with skin grafts for prolonged periods, they can take longer to heal and are more prone to infection. Seham explained that this is what occurred with Sara's fingers, necessitating the partial or complete amputation of some of them.

Seham shared that she initially told Sara the amputations were necessary because her fingers had melted, fearing to tell her the true reason.

"I avoided telling her because it was really upsetting her, so when it happened, I was afraid to tell her 'This had happened to your fingers,' so I told her it was because they had melted," she said. "But they had .... necrosis. So, they couldn't be left in her body, so they were amputated."

At the burn center, Sara received comprehensive rehabilitation, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutritional therapy, pain management care, and palliative care, Sosebee explained.

Sara spent three months in the hospital, finally being released in late May. To commemorate her departure, a video of her joyfully dancing down the hospital corridor was captured and shared online. She attributed this spontaneous celebration to the encouragement of her physical therapist, who frequently urged her to dance as part of her treatment.

"On my last day, she said, 'Don't be shy, let's dance! No matter what,'" Sara recalled. 'I was hesitant, thinking, 'Dance in front of everyone?' But she reassured me, 'Don't worry, we've danced on the street before!"

"We left the burn unit with everyone dancing," she added. "It was a mix of excitement, fear, and anxiety. All these emotions were swirling inside me. I'd been eagerly anticipating this moment since my arrival at the hospital."

Waiting in 'limbo' and hoping for the war to end

HEAL Palestine arranged accommodations for Sara, Seham, and their mother in New Jersey. The organization had assisted in securing a visa, allowing their mother to join them in the United States.

Now 18, Sara is currently undergoing occupational therapy, a process that will continue for at least another three months to facilitate her recovery. She diligently practices exercises that help her regain strength and improve the dexterity of her fingers.

Despite undergoing over 20 surgeries thus far, Sara anticipates several more procedures, including skin grafts. Just last month, she was able to remove the bandages from her fingers for the first time.

Sometimes she examines old pictures or videos "and compare to see if my hair got longer or my skin is better and compare myself from then to now," she said. "When I look at [them], I feel better."

Sara mentioned that when she can, she connects with her family in Gaza, including her father and two brothers, who remain in northern Gaza and are unable to join the family in the U.S.

"The connection isn't very reliable, so it's hard to reach them and it cuts off a lot, [but] when my dad opens the camera and sees me, he says, 'Wow,'" Sara said. "He can see the changes and improvements. He would ask me to show my fingers. He wants to see how much progress I have made."

"If my brothers were here, I would tell them I bought something new we can play with and we'll play together," she added. "I just hope this all ends so they can come and be here with me."

As Sara continues to recover, Seham and their mother attend all her doctor's appointments together and help encourage Sara as she practices her occupational therapy exercises.

Before the conflict, Seham, 20, was in her third year of college, studying dentistry. The university has resumed online classes, but she said it is challenging to start classes again because the third year is "pre-clinic," which requires practicing dental skills, including on practice models and artificial teeth.

She mentioned she has put her studies on hold for the time being, focusing on assisting Sara's recovery.

"My life before [the war] is gone forever. That's a certainty. Everything is lost. Nothing remains," Seham stated. "We have memories, but even those were taken from us. Thankfully, we are still alive. And as long as we are here, there is a glimmer of hope within us that we can return, someday, under better circumstances. Under circumstances that are not like what we endure now."

Both Sara and Seham expressed hope that the war – approaching its one-year anniversary – will conclude, and they are yearning for "stability" in Gaza so they can return home someday.

"As long as we remain in this uncertain state, I can't focus on my studies or when I'll finish school," Sara said. "The one thing we desperately need is for the war to cease. ... The most important thing is that this conflict comes to an end, and voices are heard."

"Don't become weary of paying attention and listening ... Lives are being shattered, dreams are being buried," she continued. "People who had aspirations and were trying to live just like you do, suddenly found themselves in ruins. Hopefully, the conflict will end, and people can resume their lives. That's the most crucial aspect."

Since October 7th, at least 41,000 individuals in Gaza have lost their lives and at least 95,000 have sustained injuries, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. In Israel, at least 1,500 people have been killed, including over 800 civilians and 700 IDF soldiers .