“When you’re young, do you need to live in Jerusalem”: Dialogue in the memory of “Alnaouq”
It is not uncommon to see this level of loss in Gaza. Alnaouq’s family was wiped out. Alnaouq has had no time to grieve since his family was killed.
I don’t need time to grieve. We do not have the luxury to grieve because I believe in the Palestinians. It is our responsibility to speak. And we are all willing to speak. So please, when you have the choice to give the Palestinians a voice, please do that, because they need you.”
My older brother is a civil servant and a lawyer. My younger brother worked at a human rights organization. He was a researcher and a translator. My younger brother got a scholarship to do his master’s degree in Australia just a few months ago and he was very excited to travel and to pursue his master’s degree. He was very, very happy. He was killed after that. He did not survive to go to Australia.”
My older sister is a computer engineer. She had four children and was married. Her four children were also killed. My other sister, she’s a teacher and she had five children. She and her five children were killed. My other sister, she is an accountant. She’s very smart. When she graduated, she graduated top of the university. She was very good. She is married to someone. Then she had three children. She and her children were dead.
Palestinians in Chicago mourn loss of family in Gaza: Abu Safia’s family and his aunt, AlShifa, told NPR
“If the patients are stable enough to actually be let out, even though the need the care, they are forced to leave because there are people with more severe casualties. There are people who lost limbs,” said AbuSafia. “This is how bad the situation is.”
The rest of AbuSafia’s family sheltered at his aunt’s home too. They thought the area around the hospital would be more safe. Then AbuSafia said the second airstrike hit his aunt’s house, killing everybody else in his family except his aunt.
Where are they? Is they under the rubble? Are they alive? Are they injured? It takes five hours to be done. Knowing that the worst could actually happen, which in fact happened. He heard that all of them were killed.
They were waiting for news on AbuSafia’s aunt and two toddlers who were hospitalized with severe burns. His aunt had to leave the hospital because there was not enough room. Abu Realh says he would get a text message each day from his family in Gaza. Abu Realh did not receive his daily text message on the day he spoke to NPR.
I am not sure if they can survive without oxygen and proper care. There is no supply, there is no care, no electricity, no connection whatsoever. These are children,” said Abu Realh.
The communications were down after the interview ended. They heard nothing from AbuSafia’s aunt of the two children at AlShifa hospital for days. After a week of uncertainty, Abu Realh informed NPR that the two kids had passed away from their wounds.
Albaraa AbuSafia: a very good friend of my older brother Husam, a kind person who always walks with you, and loves to be with me
“I want people to know that she was the most kind and the most loving mother ever. And that she was my, and my father of course, the very building blocks and original supporters of my whole life and my whole career. They have taught me how to succeed since I was young. And they have dedicated their whole life just to see their kids grow, learn, work, and give back to the society. My father, he was my role model. He was the most patient and strong person I’ve ever known. Even if they’re not there, I hope they can know that I continue on that path that they want me to take. I want them always also to know that they are alive with me. Everywhere I go. Everything I do.
Albaraa is my oldest brother. Whenever you have a problem, I will talk to him, so that the people know he’s the guy. We tried to come up with a solution. We help each other. He’s the person that you would call whenever you’re in trouble, because you trust them infinitely. ANd that’s Albaraa,” said AbuSafia. He was getting ready for his wedding just three months after he got engaged.
When you pass through a certain path, you always want company with you. You want to hold each other’s hands in order to push themselves through when you make a decision, because you always want to have company with you. Me and him, we worked together. We did a study together. We taught each other. And we walked in the same path. I want people to know he’s the person to have by your side whenever you decide that you’re going through a very long-term life decision. He’s more than just a friend or brother. AbuSafia said he’s a brother friend or something bigger.
The closest of them was Husam. He looked up to me as he was in high school. He used to read anything he could get his hands on. He would walk up to me and start a discussion about some things. He liked talking to his brother. Both of us also played a lot of chess, and he used to actually beat [me] in chess. He likes artificial intelligence and is very bright. And he wanted to grow and to explore all the opportunities the world would have given him. That was taken from him.
“My youngest brother (Amru), he is what we call the fruit of the family. He used to play lots of video games. And whenever he had any problem with any sort of thing during his playing time, he used to interrupt whatever I’m doing, whether it be studying or working. And he would interrupt you just to fix his games. And let me tell you, it’s one of the things that I miss most is him interrupting me. I know that he won’t interrupt me anymore.
Source: Palestinians in Chicago mourn loss of family in Gaza
Mohammed AbuSafia: I Know Things Could Go Bad, But I Know You Can’t… Will Things Go Bad?
“As somebody who works in healthcare in America… this patient with these symptoms would need about ten days in the hospital until his lung collapse recovered,” said Abu Realh. “[The] other 17-year-old with a fractured spine should stay [on] his back with minimum movement for at least one month.”
I knew something bad was about to happen. He said in the message to just look after yourself and we will be okay. The news that my dad was dead came to me the night after that.
“I cried at the border when I had to say goodbye. I cried when I drove from the border to the airport. AbuSafia said in an interview with Morning Edition that he knew things could go bad.
The doctor from Northern Gaza is Mohammed AbuSafia. He traveled to the United States at the end of July for two months of medical training at Cleveland Clinic. He planned to be back in Gaza by October 7. AbuSafia was in the United States on the day of the Hamas attack, but his externship was late because of travel delays.