Israel Killed 10 Members of My Family in One Bombing

My name is Rehab Musa Aljamal, I am 54 years old from the village of Aqir, which was occupied in 1948. I live with my brothers, their children, and grandchildren in Nuseirat camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip. I was born and spent my childhood, youth, and the rest of my life in this camp.

Our house is located on the main street of the camp, known to all its residents. It is one of the oldest concrete houses in Gaza, built by my late father over 40 years ago. The house is spacious, exceeding 400 square meters on each floor, and it accommodates six families. Below the house, there are six commercial shops that we rented out. I lived with my brothers and their families until the war began, during which I lost ten members of my family. Today, I am displaced, having lost my house and my eldest brother in an Israeli airstrike on our home.

Since the early days of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which began on 7 October 2023, many of our relatives have sought refuge in our house. My niece Hissab and her four children, my sister Marwa and her three children, my niece Suad and her three children, and my nephew Bayan with his child sought refuge in our house. Before the airstrike, I was in the house along with my eldest brother Azmi’s family (four members), my brother Hussam’s family (four members), my brother Shahab’s family (two members), my brother Emad’s family (six members), and my nephew Musa’s family (five members). There were 37 people in our house, mostly children and women, seeking safety amidst Nuseirat camp’s market and nearby UNRWA schools.

On Sunday, 15 October 2023, while arranging my apartment, my sister called to inform me of intensified bombing in Khan Younis city and their evacuation to our house. I prepared for their arrival, but suddenly, amidst loud explosions and intense bombing, I was thrown to the ground, covered in blood, sand, and black smoke. Confused and in severe pain, I discovered my severed finger on the ground. In the chaos, my relatives and neighbours found me and rushed me to the hospital for treatment.
 
During the bombing, my nephew Musa’s wife, Ayat Hassan Shaqfa, 35 years old, sustained injuries resulting in the amputation of her left foot, major fractures in her hand requiring surgery and a plate insertion, and severe burns across her body. Her son Azmi, ten years old, suffered burns and fractures, also needing a foot device unavailable in Gaza. Ayat endured hospitalization for a month and a half, only to later learn about the deaths of her uncle Azmi, his wife Hanan, her daughter Nada, and her son Mustafa, with her son Azmi seriously injured in the same hospital.

Ayat, burdened by grief for her children and her husband’s family, and the loss of her home, succumbed to her injuries on 11 December 2023, and was buried in Rafah city’s family cemetery due to ongoing war conditions preventing burial alongside her children.

My niece Ola sought refuge in our house with her children on the war’s first day, only to be killed when our house was bombed a week later. Ola left behind four orphans: Yazan Mahmoud Al-Saedi, ten years old; Zayn, eight years old; Muhammad, five years old; and Sham, three years old. Ola had been married to Mahmoud Al-Saedi for 11 years, residing in Khan Younis city near the European Hospital. Despite completing university with a diploma in medical secretarial work, Ola struggled to find employment in Gaza.
My niece Suad also left behind two orphaned children after her death, including her daughter Janna. Her sons, Omar (ten years old) and Kareem (two years old), survived multiple bombings. Unfortunately, Kareem was killed in an airstrike on his uncle’s wife’s house. Omar survived with injuries, enduring the harsh conditions of war.

Since my injury over seven months ago, I have been unable to undergo surgery due to the destruction of most hospitals and health centres in Gaza. The few operating facilities function under severe emergency conditions, postponing my necessary surgery. One finger was immediately amputated during the bombing, and I also suffered two fractures and deformities in my hand. Despite current resource constraints, I hope for a successful surgery to save my hand and prevent further loss.

I have endured months of sorrow, pain, and displacement. Following the Israeli invasion of Nuseirat refugee camp in January 2024, I fled with my brother to Rafah city, seeking refuge at my niece Duaa’s house for 37 days amidst cramped conditions. Currently, I reside in a small rented apartment with my brothers, each occupying separate rooms while I sleep in the living room with their children.

Our house, with its six commercial shops, was a hub for traders, offering clothes, shoes, mobile phones, communications, and flowers. Sadly, all the shops were destroyed during the bombing, causing substantial harm to workers dependent on them.

Like all people worldwide, we desire security and safety. The occupation must be held accountable for its crimes against our people, especially the massacre of my family, which claimed the lives of ten civilians. Our household included civilians – men, women and children. My brother Azmi, beloved in Nuseirat, served as a nurse for decades in the Palestinian Ministry of Health. My brother Imad manages a medical centre, while Shahab’s wife teaches in UNRWA schools. My brothers and their children work in trade, without affiliation to any political party. This unjustified crime demands accountability.

I pray for an end to this war, the opportunity to rebuild our home, and reunion with my surviving brothers and their children. May our lives soon return to the peace and security we once knew, despite the painful losses we continue to endure.

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