© AP Photo/Adel Hana
Palestinian protesters evacuate a wounded youth during clashes with Israeli troops along the Gaza Strip.
Baha Abu Ayash winced as a nurse unraveled the bandage around his right ankle. There was a whiff of rotting meat as a gaping bullet wound came into view. A doctor pinched his toes. They were black and cold.
For six days, the 23-year-old and his family had held out hope that his foot might be saved, if only he could be evacuated from the Gaza Strip. But it was too late now, the doctor from Jordan told them. Even if Israel agreed to the transfer, the decision would be the same.
"This patient needs a life-saving amputation," the doctor said. "Gangrene has set in. ... It is very critical."
Still, the family hesitated. Nobody in the family had steady work. Who would support the young man if his foot or leg were removed?
"It's not an easy decision," said Mohammed Abu Ayash, one of his 12 siblings.
The toll of violence during two months of protests along the Gaza Strip's border with Israel is most often measured in deaths: at least 123 Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire.
Comment: What drives people to do this to themselves could be many and varied, and as this 'disorder' gets more exposure, one can expect there will be a rise in 'sufferers', even if for some it is genuine. But in the end, shouldn't we be encouraged to make peace with our bodies rather than try to correct what we were given?