7-year-old Bedouin girl wounded in Iranian missile strike still in serious condition

Amina al-Hassouni was hit in the head by shrapnel from intercepted missile

The 7-year-old Israeli girl Amina al-Hassouni is still in serious condition and continues to be treated in Beersheva’s Soroka Hospital after being severely wounded during the Iranian assault on Sunday, Israeli media reported Tuesday.

Amina comes from an Arab-Israeli Bedouin family and was the only direct casualty caused by the Iranian missile and drone attack last Sunday, of which 99% were intercepted by Israel and several allied nations.

The al-Hasouni family lives in an illegal, unrecognized Bedouin village near the town of Arad in the Negev Desert, close to the Nevatim Airbase – one of the main targets of the Iranian launch.

When the Israeli Air Force intercepted a ballistic missile headed for Nevatim, shrapnel fell on the home of the al-Hasouni family, severely wounding the young girl on her head. Doctors at Soroka fought for her life for the last few days and on Tuesday, some news outlets reported that she was out of immediate danger.

“Her condition has stabilized a little, but she remains sedated and her life is still in danger,” a hospital spokesman told the Jewish News Syndicate on Tuesday.

According to the NGO, “Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages in the Negev,” Amina’s father Muhammad confirmed that her situation was improving, that she was able to move her hand and that her life was no longer in danger.

“What is clear is that it is still too early to celebrate, the head injury is severe and even in the positive scenario it is not clear what functional or other damage will remain,” the NGO added.

The home of the al-Hassouni family is not equipped with a bomb shelter, unlike most newer buildings in Israel which must be built either with a shelter or at least a reinforced security room, in accordance with Israeli construction law.

Most recognized towns and villages are also required to provide public shelters, which isn’t the case in the majority of Bedouin villages across Israel’s southern desert.

When the Iranian attack began in the early morning hours on Sunday, Muhammad managed to get some of his children out of the house, but Amina was hit by the shrapnel while she was sleeping in her bedroom before he could get to her.

She was the only Israeli seriously wounded by the Iranian attack, although several dozen people were treated for light injuries or shock.