Tia’s Story

A Year of Survival: The Story Behind a Child Critically Injured in the Majdal Shams Rocket Attack 

One family’s journey through trauma, survival and rehabilitation. Thanks to UIA donors’ support, they are finally at the end of a long road to recovery. 

On Saturday afternoon, 27 July 2024, a rocket struck a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, killing twelve children and teens. The IDF later confirmed that the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1, carrying more than 50 kilograms of explosives. 

In Israel, the Druze community are a unique, non-Jewish ethnic group. They make up roughly 2% of the country’s population, have full rights and participate actively in society.

A Mother’s Memory 

“When the siren came, I was at our home in the village of Madjal Shams. I knew my daughter Tia was at the nearby football field with her friends. The time between the siren and the rocket landing felt impossibly short. I told my husband that the rocket felt close, but we didn’t yet understand what had happened. 

I took my eldest child and left the house to bring Tia home. As I drove, I saw heavy traffic heading towards the field. I asked what was going on, and someone told me a rocket had hit the soccer field. I started running. When I reached the scene, I ran to the shelter. Then everything went blank. I woke up in the community centre, asking where my daughter was. 

My husband searched for her. My nephew ran to the medical centre and found her there. He told us she was alive. 

From the local clinic, she was evacuated by helicopter to Ziv Medical Centre in Tzfat. I drove to Tzfat and spent two hours searching for her. Finally, someone told me I would need to identify her from a photograph. They were counting the injured children; my daughter was number 19. When I was told that number 19 had been sent to Rambam Hospital, I drove straight to Haifa. 

At Rambam hospital, Tia underwent a massive 12-hour operation, from 9pm until almost 9am. When she came out of surgery, she was on a ventilator. She remained in a coma for eleven days. After further treatment, she was transferred to Loewenstein Hospital in Ra’anana for rehabilitation. We were there for about a year.”

In gratitude

Tia’s mother expressed her gratitude for the support that her family received during Tia’s recovery, which helped their family focus on Tia during this difficult process, saying “thank you to the community from Australia. For the respect and the support. Truly. Thank you.” 

The Mayor’s Recount 

The Mayor of Madjal Shams, Dolan Abu Saleh, recounts that dark Saturday. 

“When the sirens rang, Tia didn’t have time to get to the shelter. Her friend died at the entrance to the shelter, at age 11. Tia tried to push him into the shelter, but he died in her arms. We found 11 children that day. It took a while to find the body of the 12th child, which we found a few days later. Imagine a rocket full of explosives hit a football field of kids? Imagine it hit Australia?”

Finding the light in the darkness 

“The Jewish and non-Jewish community of Australia was very present when we needed them”, continued Mayor Dolan Abu Saleh.” What you see here in Israel is the light. And what we got from the other side is the darkness. And the light will prevail. Thank you.”

Their Recovery, your support

The Fund for Victims of Terror, supported by UIA, is the first responder for families like Tia’s, who are impacted by acts of terror and violence. It provides immediate grants to victims, as needed, within 48 hours. The funds are distributed to all Israeli citizens irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity.

Following the attack on Majdal Shams, the Fund stepped up to provide the following aid to those directly impacted:

• Emergency Grant: An emergency grant of 4,000 NIS was directly deposited into the bank account of each bereaved family and each family with a hospitalised injured member within 72 hours. Families with multiple victims received a double emergency grant. Over 50 emergency grants were distributed at the time.
• Rehabilitation Grant: A grant of 25,000 NIS for rehabilitation needs was made available to each bereaved family and each family with an injured member (physical or mental) with over 20% disability as recognised by the National Insurance Institute.

In addition, a 600,000 NIS fund was established by The Jewish Agency, Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal and the Jewish Federations of North America to provide trauma treatments and emotional resilience support for the broader Majdal Shams community. 

Find out more about UIA’s support for the Fund for the Victims of Terror: