Families evacuated from Gaza enjoy a day to decompress at Rome's ancient baths
Palestinian families evacuated from Gaza for medical care spent a day at Rome's ancient Baths of Caracalla, where they enjoyed tours, games and moments of respite from war trauma and ongoing medical treatment.
ROME (AP) — The Baths of Caracalla, the sumptuously decorated public baths complex near the Colosseum, were long a place of leisure, healthcare and relaxation for ancient Romans. On Sunday, the place provided a different sort of decompression to a group of Palestinian children and their families who had been evacuated from Gaza for medical care, thanks to Italy's humanitarian corridors program. "We brought families with children so they could experience visiting an ancient archaeological site," said Luisa delle Fratte, a tour guide with Guides for Gaza, in an interview with The Associated Press. "We also offered them a snack, some games and moments of social interaction and togetherness." Ordinary Italian families mingled throughout the sprawling site, some settling on the grass to enjoy the springtime sun. The Palestinian families, all now residing in Rome, blended in seamlessly—following their tour guide and translator, taking selfies amid the ruins, and watching water jets shoot upward from the newly installed reflecting pool. Organizers designed the outing as a respite from medical treatments and the memories of war. "I was injured and lost my ability to speak, as well as mobility and normal function in my hand and leg," said 13-year-old Ahmed Skena, struggling to form his words. He added that he also lost his father and brother in the war. Mariam Dawwas, 25, attended with her husband and four young children, one of whom is ill. The family arrived in Italy after being displaced more than 10 times. "Thank God, I am still in a better situation than in Gaza, away from the bombing. At least I am safe, I have shelter, and there is light for my children," she said. Some of the families at Caracalla on Sunday knew each other from Gaza but hadn't seen one another since their evacuation, according to Delle Fratte. Guides for Gaza, a network founded last year in Umbria and Tuscany, has recently expanded to Naples and Rome. "It was very beautiful to see them there embracing again and meeting one another once more," she said. While the Palestinian families toured the ruins, other guides offered tours to Italians in exchange for donations to support Gazelle, a nonprofit involved in child protection projects in the Gaza Strip. The war in Gaza began with a 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, in which the militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted others.
