Gaza’s Wounded and Orphaned Find Healing in Doha Refuge

A woman uses a tufting machine to make a rug at the the Al-Thumama complex.

In the late afternoon light, about 20 kilometres from Doha, the Al-Thumama complex looks like any quiet residential neighbourhood: paved pathways, rows of apartment blocks, and the hum of air conditioning drifting through the warm desert air.

When Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly (PGA), visited the complex on Monday afternoon, the sun was beginning to soften over a place that has been transformed. UN News accompanied the visit, observing her meetings with families, children, and the staff supporting them.

Originally built to host football fans during the 2022 World Cup, the complex now functions as an emergency housing and medical rehabilitation centre. It includes living quarters, a 24-hour primary health centre, physiotherapy and prosthetic rehabilitation units, counselling and social support spaces, and facilities repurposed for children’s activities.

Al-Thumama shelters between 1,700 and 2,000 evacuees from Gaza, including more than 700 children – many of them orphans now in the care of relatives or guardians who accompanied them from the Strip. The complex was initially built to accommodate 1,500 people.

Many residents are also undergoing medical treatment, ranging from surgery to long-term rehabilitation and prosthetics. “Everyone who arrived here was diagnosed with PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder],” said Sheikha Al Jufairi, a member of the Qatar Social Work Foundation.

Simply Being Children

As the briefing concluded, several women and children entered the room to greet the delegation. One girl wore a sweatshirt printed with the word “Brooklyn”. Ms Baerbock smiled and said, “I’m from New York – where Brooklyn is,” prompting shy laughter.

Nearby, a small girl in a white floral dress, her hair tied neatly with a ribbon and golden shoes that caught the light, leaned gently into Ms Baerbock’s side as they posed for a photo together. She moved with a slight limp, but her expression was pure joy – present in the moment, simply being a child.

A grandmother sat nearby, holding a boy not yet three years old, tall for his age. His right arm had been amputated, and on his left remained only a single index finger, his small hands marked by the deep scars of war and medical treatment.

Then, a boy of about twelve or thirteen stepped forward – neatly dressed in a turquoise shirt and dark trousers, composed and confident beyond his years.

He explained that he had written a book titled A Biography of Childhood and Heroism: Memoirs of a Child from Gaza. He presented a copy to Ms Baerbock, who asked him to sign it. She told him, “I am taking your name, Ramadan, so I can tell the story of the strong children from Gaza, the brightest children I’ve met.”

After the visit, Ms Baerbock – in Doha to attend the UN World Summit for Social Development – said the encounter underscored what is at stake for the future.

“Speaking to children and families at the Al-Thumama complex underlined how important it is not only to reconstruct Gaza but also to support a traumatised generation – children who have lost everything: their mothers, fathers, relatives, and friends; their arms, their legs – but still keep fighting and hoping for peace.”

A Heart and a Sunflower

After the meeting, Ms Baerbock crossed the street to an off-white building opposite, where staff from the Qatar Red Crescent run mental health and psychosocial support services.

In the first room, a woman was working with a long strand of wool, guiding it through a handheld device to embroider a heart shape onto a carpet mat. The yarn matched the deep tone of Ms Baerbock’s dress. Nearby were two completed pieces: one a pink-and-white sunflower, the other a cheerful multicoloured one, the kind a child might draw.

In the next room, several older women sat together around a table, embroidering by hand. One used a mobile phone for her pattern as her fingers deftly threaded an emerald and violet flower. The room was calm, filled with quiet focus.

A display case on the wall held keychains, soft toys, and cloth purses made by the women – each item arranged with care. Ms Baerbock paused to speak with them as they worked.

As she left, a small detail stood out: every entrance had both steps and a ramp – a reminder that many residents here are still learning to walk again or move with assistance.

Outside, an older woman in a wheelchair waited. From a bag, she offered small plates of homemade sweets to the PGA, who accepted one and thanked her. The exchange was brief, direct, and warm.

Please Ring the Bell

A short walk away, another building housed a 24-hour primary health centre. Posters on the walls – about flu symptoms, vaccination reminders, and handwashing – could have been found in any clinic anywhere in the world.

Doctors in scrubs greeted the delegation, explaining the treatments provided and how they coordinate with advanced medical centres in Doha.

In one room, a nurse sat at a check-up desk; in another, a treatment room held a rolling hospital bed, a blood pressure monitor, a thermometer, and an oxygen cylinder ready at the wall.

Next door, the laboratory provided diagnostic services, and around the corner, a small pharmacy displayed a sign that read: “In case of emergency, please ring the bell.”