Durban - A Palestinian teenager who was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers will have one of his dreams realised when he gets to visit the beach in Durban.
Mohamad Tamimi was in the Indian Ocean city, on Thursday, as he prepared to undergo what could possibly be life-altering reconstructive surgery in a few days.
Relating how he was injured, the 15-year-old said he was playing soccer with friends when they heard gunshots, which soon stopped. He went and peeked over where Israeli soldiers were stationed and one of them shot him in the head, blowing a third of his skull away.
Osama Tamimi, a relative acting as translator, said doctors had problems treating him as he had a rare blood type, but they eventually found someone with a similar blood type.
Doctors performed a six-hour operation where his scalp had to be removed as his brain was swollen and the bullet was still lodged in his head. He was in an induced coma for a week, and could not recognise anyone when he awoke, Osama said.
In efforts to get back to a normal life, the youngster, a relative of activist Ahed Tamimi, who was detained for slapping an Israeli soldier, posted a plea on Facebook.
Durbanite Nadia Meer, from the NGO Shamsaan, heard of the plea and made efforts to get him to South Africa for surgery.
Meer said the surgery, would be performed by a team of five doctors in Joburg, who had provided their services for free.