Palestinian girl who lost leg in Israeli airstrike recovers in Los Angeles with nonprofit's support

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Jana is a 13-year-old girl.

She likes to make beaded bracelets and learn English, but recently, she's had to focus on survival.

The home she and her family sheltered in on Dec. 21, 2023, collapsed during an Israeli military airstrike in Gaza. Jana's leg had to be amputated.

"All I remember is the roof falling on us," she said. "I screamed and my leg hurt so, so bad. I remember going to touch my leg and just getting blood and flesh on my hands, and I remember thinking, 'I lost my leg.'"

A volunteer with the Palestine Children's Relief Fund helped Eyewitness News interpret the interview between Arabic and English.

Jana's mother, who goes by Um Uthaman, described a chaotic and dangerous path to the hospital: the airstrikes were ongoing, no ambulance was available, and what is typically a 10-minute drive was more than an hour because of the rubble that obstructed the roads.

Jana is one of the many children and people who've had to undergo serious medical procedures without anesthesia as the ongoing attacks have decimated the healthcare system in Gaza.

"Every day that she would get her dressing changed, she would scream uncontrollably. It was so painful to her. It was pain that men couldn't even handle," said Jana's mother.

Jana was also trapped in Al Shifa hospital for 15 days where mass graves were later discovered.

"The Israeli army came into the hospital during Ramadan. They forced all of the men out, so my dad and my brother were no longer with me," said Jana. "They then took my mom and my sister away, and I was all alone. I was starving and thirsty. I had no food or water all 15 days."

"She told me that at one point, there were worms coming out of her leg. That is what leads to these amputations," said Tareq Hailat, who heads the Palestine Children's Relief Fund's Treatment Abroad Program.

"People have to learn about the struggle of the Palestinian people. That thousands of kids are in danger and dying every day," said Jana. "Whether it's famine or airstrikes, people are dying every single day."

One of Jana's brothers was killed in an airstrike on his way to get water. Another sibling and her father -- who has kidney cancer -- remain in northern Gaza.

"We're not being able to provide infrastructural help to that healthcare system, but also on top of that, with the Rafah border closed now, it's almost been impossible to pull children out to receive medical care," said Hailat.

Jana is one of the few who was able to evacuate into Egypt. Among other resources, PCRF secured travel and free medical care for her in Southern California.

This past weekend, a large crowd welcomed her at LAX with flowers, colorful signs, and warm cheers, chanting "Jana! Jana! Jana!"

"It lifted our spirits. Jana forgot all the pain of traveling and getting here," said her mother.

"When I first got injured, I was depressed for three or four months," said Jana. "Once I heard that we were coming here and there was a chance that I would be able to get a prosthetic, my spirits were so much better."

Jana said she has started getting up and doing normal things, and now believes she can accomplish really big things in the future.

She wants to study business.

"The thing that keeps me strong is my faith in God and his will," said Um Uthman. "The will that whatever God has written for us will happen. It gives us the patience and the strength to keep going."