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The bullet pierced clean through the window frame of the fourth-floor apartment. There was a “big bang”, Abu-Izneid said, but at the time she couldn’t process what was happening.
While the projectile missed both women, it hit the top corner of the room and exploded close to Abu-Izneid, showering her in shrapnel that embedded in her chest, face and eye.
The bullet hole in the window frame of Abu-Izneid’s student accommodation near Jerusalem.
“I looked at my friend, and she was covered in blood. Later on, I found out it wasn’t her blood; it was actually the blood coming out of my eye. There was blood everywhere, and I didn’t expect to live,” Abu-Izneid said.
“No one should live this fear.”
Photos of the bullet and Abu-Izneid’s facial injuries taken shortly after the incident have been seen by this masthead, along with medical reports from hospitals that treated her in Ramallah and Jerusalem.
At Melbourne Airport on Sunday, Abu-Izneid said she was grateful to be home with family, but she feared her injuries would prevent her from becoming a dentist.
Her face and chest are marked by wounds, and stitches hold together a larger cut on her chin. A patch covers her ruptured right eye, and pieces of metal remain in the eye socket.
She is likely to need further surgery. Hospital staff were awaiting her arrival after the plane landed.
“My dreams have come crashing down in an instant. It’s all over. I wanted to achieve my dreams of becoming a dentist, but I don’t think that’s possible any more,” Abu-Izneid said.
“I don’t even look like me … I just want to be me again.”
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Mazen Alkhatib, the dean of student affairs at Al-Quds University, said the community was struggling to understand why the shooting happened in what is considered a safe area.
Abu-Izneid’s family wants an independent investigation into the incident, and has urged the Australian government to act.
“We demand the Australian government formally and transparently investigate this,” her mother, Rana Abu-Izneid, a dentist, said on Sunday. “We are innocent civilians – she lived in a safe area. We could have never imaged this to be the case.”
The Islamic Council of Victoria echoed that call on Sunday.
“The Islamic Council of Victoria is horrified that an Australian student studying in Jerusalem could be seriously injured and nearly killed by Israeli forces while in her apartment in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” the council said.
Friends and family members give Abu-Izneid roses after her arrival home.Credit: Wayne Taylor
“We believe that the response from the Australian officials has been woefully inadequate, and we join the family in demanding a full impartial investigation into what took place. We call on the Australian government to hold Israel to account for this criminal act.”
Rana sobbed as she embraced her daughter for the first time since she was injured. Ranem clutched red roses, handed to her by family and friends.
“For me, she’s still a child. Just 20 years of age, suffering this … Since she was shot to this moment, it’s felt like years,” Rana said.
“She has been looking forward to being a dentist since she was 15 years old. I’m not sure if this incident will maybe stop her, but she’s brave.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had provided consular assistance while the 20-year-old was in Jordan.
“Our thoughts are with her and her family as she recovers.”
The Israeli embassy in Australia and the Israel Defence Forces have been contacted for comment.
A DFAT spokesperson said on Sunday that there were only some things it could help Australians with overseas. DFAT also reiterated that the West Bank is a “do not travel” area under current guidance.
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“The Australian government is seeking further information about the circumstances of the incident,” the spokesperson said. “Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.
“Consular assistance may include liaison with or visits to local hospitals, liaison with local authorities, provision of lists of medical providers and assistance communicating with family members or nominated contacts. ”
A Victorian government spokesman said the state government had offered assistance.
“We are also working with the Victorian Palestinian community to provide support to the family.
“The situation in the Middle East is causing deep distress for many individuals and families in Victoria, and we stand with all Victorians who are impacted by this conflict.”
Abu-Izneid’s father, Dr Tareq Abu-Izneid, a medical academic at Monash University, travelled overseas to accompany his daughter home after she entered Jordan on November 20.
He said his priority was to ensure she received the best medical care possible in Australia and had every chance to have her sight restored and return to the field she loves so much.
“Until the last day of my life, I will want her to be a dentist … I want to help her do whatever she wants. She was so excited about studying,” he said.