A Gaza child’s last will: An Israeli bomb killed my niece, who was ten years old. She made the decision to draft a will before to her passing.
Ten-year-olds should not be preparing a will in case they pass away; instead, they should be playing with toys, drawing, and spending time with their friends.
A Gaza child’s last will “I beg you not to weep for me in the event that I die or become a martyr, as your tears hurt me.” I’m hoping that people in need will get my clothes. Rahaf, Sara, Judy, Lana, and Batool should all share my accessories. Rahaf and Ahmed should have my bead kits. Rahaf and Ahmed each received 25 of my 50 shekel monthly allowance. To Rahaf, my notebooks and stories. To Batool, my toys. Additionally, please abide by these wishes and refrain from shouting at my brother Ahmed.
Before we buried my 10-year-old niece Rasha in the same grave as her brother Ahmed, who was 11 years old and had half of his face removed due to an Israeli airstrike on their home on September 30, no one in the family was aware that she had left a will. This occurred precisely 24 years after Muhammad al-Durrah, then 12 years old, was assassinated in Gaza.
It appears that Israel was reminding us of its history of murdering defenceless youngsters.
A Gaza child’s last will The fear that surrounded the parents as they hurried to the dead bodies of their small children is difficult to forget, let alone the agony of standing in front of the demolished structure.
The structure had already been blasted on June 10th, a few months prior. After we pulled the entire family out of the wreckage with very minor injuries, they joked that Israel had dropped two missiles that day, one for each child. Like on September 30, there was no justification for bombing it back then.
A Gaza child’s last will
It would appear that Rasha and Ahmed were destined to endure a few more months of conflict, terror, and starvation before Israel would once more target their home and murder them.
Rasha requested in her will that no one yell at her older brother Ahmed, a lively and mischievous child who was also a standout student and adored by all. Strangely, she thought Ahmed would outlive her, take her twenty-five shekels, and lead a life that she was unable to. However, just as they had lived, feared, and starved together, they were destined to die together.
Ahmed was born a year after Rasha. Instead of passing away at the young ages of 10 and 11, they were meant to mature and earn a PhD like their mother did.
This would be a heinous war crime in a different reality, but not in Gaza. Out of tens of thousands of victims, they are only two.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed almost 16,700 children in Gaza, and at least 17,000 of those children have lost their parents. According to a Save the Children report from January 2024, 10 children lose a limb every day. Almost 88 percent of all schools had been damaged or destroyed by spring.
I can only write about one occurrence in this piece, but even if I could somehow increase the suffering by 16,700, the reader would still be a long way from fully comprehending the depth of sorrow in Gaza.
The fact that a kid so young prepared a will outlining her ultimate intentions to divide her possessions among her loved ones is beyond the comprehension of any member of the family. What was she thinking about? Why did Rasha believe she was going to die? We know that the past 12 months have been incredibly stressful for Palestinians, both young and elderly.
A Gaza child’s last will Given that half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are under the age of 18, how many more kids are experiencing these kinds of thoughts? Even though Rasha’s will has gone popular on social media, there probably are a lot more like it lost in the wreckage.
I can’t help but wonder if there is a youngster out there draughting a will in the dark right now while I write this piece, which feels more like a delayed eulogy to my dear nephew and niece.
On the chilly hospital floor, Ahmed and Rasha remained side by side in their shrouds for the whole night. We transported them to the cemetery the following morning, where they were interred side by side in a single grave for all eternity.
Where is the worldwide indignation at the horrific deaths of 16,700 children?
This article’s opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the editorial position of Al Jazeera.
Source: Aljazeera