Eleven-year-old Palestinian amputee Yassin Al Ghalban once dreamed of becoming a footballer like his idol, Karim Benzema. However, his dream was shattered when he lost his leg in an Israeli airstrike.
In a video previously shared by Al Jazeera, Yassin recounted the horrific day he lost his leg: “They shelled us, and when I woke up, I only had one leg. I wanted to become a footballer, but now I can’t. I wanted to be like Benzema, to be a player like him, but now I can’t.”
Despite his loss, Yassin hopes he will at least be able to walk again, if not play football.
(Video Credit: @AJStream)
After Yassin’s heart-wrenching video went viral, French football star Karim Benzema sent him a touching message: “Hello Yassin, my brother, here to send you my support. I wish you courage. God willing, everything will be okay. I will be thinking of you. God willing, the next time I score, I will be thinking of you.”
It should be noted that at least 25 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, pushing up the overall death toll to 37,925 since last Oct. 7.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 87,141 people have been injured in the onslaught.
