Gaza: Whispers of the Shattered Sky

Chapter 4

Chapter - 4

Stories of Loss and Grief from Gaza

Fathi Abu Saada and Iman Abu Saada

Both of them were 21 years old. This is an age when dreams start to take the shape of practical reality. At this age not even touching the stars would feel enough. So many hopes and aspirations rise, the same was the case with these two. Both of them were so full of life, energetic, and wanted to achieve so much in life for themselves and their family.

They lived along with their family in one block of Al-Fakhoura residential apartments in Gaza.

Fathi Abu Saeeda was known as a noble, caring person. An intelligent soul who was always ready to help others. He was loving and respectful towards his sisters and mother. Always praising God Almighty he was heard saying May Allah Kareem have mercy on us or pray for us. His father Mufid Abu Saada, was killed in the Fakhoura m******e in 2009 that too in the same place.

Iman Abu Saeeda was a gentle, kindhearted girl. She devoted her life to her studies and was building up her career as a freelance marketer in the field of digital marketing. All around her used to praise her for her leadership qualities. Her positive soul was the center of attraction in every family, friends or colleagues gathering.

Her belief was that martyrs are alive and she seldom mentioned that she wished to see her as a martyr while wrapped in shroud.

These two were living peacefully with their family and their mother. They were proud to have had three engineers in their family. Fathi and his two sisters Hadeel and Israa. Their dream was to open an engineering office of their own one day. But not all dreams come true.

Their dreams and hopes were cut short on October 14, 2023, when they were killed (embraced martyrdom) along with 70 others due to the Israel air strikes as a result of the Israel and Hamas conflict which started on 7 October 2023.

Abdulrahman Siedem

An adorable child. A child who was the apple of the eyes of all. He loved Gaza his motherland very much. Abdulrahman was a bright, intelligent student whose aspirations and dreams knew no bounds. He lived in Al-Hawa neighborhood, in the west side of Gaza.

He loved to visit the sea whenever he could with his family. Many of his friends say that as they remember him he was very helpful and kind. He loved outdoor sports and sitting in gardens.

He was fond of taking pictures and loved the company of his friends. He used to take a lot of photos with his friends saying that these memories we would cherish once we grew up. He wanted to contribute to making the world a better place. He deserved to live a happy, long, healthy, prospective life.

One airstrike finished all for him and his family. His dreams were shattered on October 16, 2023, when he was killed ( embraced martyrdom) along with his entire family.

Journalist Mohammed Al-Jajah

He was a trusting, profound teacher, colleague, and mentor. he was adored by his family, friends, and colleagues. In all roles of his life as a son, brother, husband, father, and as a person he was exemplary. He visited 30 countries in Europe and other places of the world but his love for Gaza was unconditional as his motherland.

He could have citizenship of other countries easily but he never applied for it. He said he would live in Gaza and if fate be, die in Gaza.

Mohammad was very active and respected in civil society in Gaza. He was an advisor and special correspondent of many international and local institutions. His lectures were full of knowledge. His motto was never to give up no matter how hard the circumstances are in life.

Mohammad's daughter Sham was very close to him. She was like a shadow of her father. She also resembled her father a lot.

On November 6, 2023, Mohammed along with his daughter Sham got killed (embraced martyrdom) in an Israeli airstrike which not only killed Mohammad and his daughter but his wife, son, and many other relatives of his along with his neighbours.

Dr. Khaled Al-Ramlawi

Dr. Khaled lived in the city of Gaza. He was one of the brilliant minds of Gaza. After he graduated from the College of Engineering in Izmir in 2022, many opportunities came his way but he preferred to serve in Gaza. His love for his motherland and its people was more than anything for him.

He was offered Turkish citizenship if he stayed and studied for another year but he decided to return to Gaza and serve in his university of Gaza. Dr. Khaled's mother and father lived with him, and they were proud of their son's achievements.

His talk was always balanced and when he used to speak it was impressionable and always positive and uplifting.

He was humorous, he loved his life and believed in the small joys of life.

He often said to his friends that all the comforts, good jobs, and nationality offers are not even equal to one peaceful night in the embrace of his homeland Gaza.

Dr. Khaled was killed (embraced martyrdom) with his parents, several children, and siblings when his home (where he took shelter in along with his family) was bombarded on 18 December 2023.

Mohsen Ahmed

Mohsen was co-founder of Vermiland which is known as an Agritech Startup. This startup transforms organic waste into composts that are full of useful bacteria and enzymes. He graduated from the Startups Without Borders MetaBoost Programme in Palestine. He was a devoted and loved son, father, friend, and colleague. His role as an entrepreneur and mentor impacted many lives positively.

Mohsen was known and respected as Gaza's pioneer entrepreneur who inspired the youth of Gaza the most. Many Generation Z of Gaza embarked on a journey following his footsteps. For them, he was a guiding light.

He was happy, creative, innovative, and passionate and his love for his homeland was his pride. His passion for work was to create a sustainable solution to transform organic waste. He was the founder of the Afkar app, which is an ed-tech startup that aimed to nourish creative thinking for children. He was killed in Gaza in an airstrike which killed him along with members of his family.

Sally Saadi Musa

Sally was a beautiful person inside out. Her husband used to call her Moon and himself "moons neighbor".

Sally was a devoted wife and mother. Sally had four children, Lubna, Zain, Kanan, and Sari. Her roots were Egyptian which added Egyptian dialect to her persona.

Sally was praised and loved by her family and friends. She had a soft, sophisticated temperament which added to her elegance.

Her way of speech used to win hearts instantly. She loved beautiful things and cleanliness was in her nature. She had good taste in clothing, cooking, and home decor and it was evident from her everyday life. She was known for her warm gatherings and hospitality among her relatives, friends, and neighborhood. She loved her husband and children a lot and was the breath and soul of her family.

On November 21, 2023, Sally, along with her husband and four children was killed in an airstrike on the Al-Nusairat refugee camp.

Said-Al-Tawil

Said was one of the most known and profound journalists of Gaza. He was known for his unique style of delivering and reporting news in a refined manner. Morning Bulletin delivered by him was famous because of his colloquial language style (News on an Empty Stomach).

He was highly educated a Ph.D. researcher in political media and a vibrant profound lecturer in digital media studies. He worked as the editor-in-chief of the Fifth News network.

During transmission, he always kept a balanced and unbiased approach. He was highly professional. His confidence was class apart and his knowledge used to speak for itself.

He always said and I'm quoting him: "Rest assured we are under the protection of Allah (God Almighty) have it been any circumstances. We strive as much as possible to maintain the professional and confident transmission of the media message while protecting the internal front, fully supporting and endorsing the efforts of the battle's heroes because we are the rightful bearers of truth".

He was a gem of a person, a devoted and adored son, father, husband, and mentor. An honorable colleague and societal figure.

Journalist Said was killed (embraced martyrdom) on October 10, 2023, when an Israeli airstrike hit a group of Journalists covering the situation on the ground. According to his friends and colleagues around the world, the loss of Said Al-Tawil is not only the loss felt by the media fraternity in Gaza but it is a jolt to all the journalists across the globe who believe in honest and fair reporting without any biases.

Mai Ubeid

Mai was working with the United Nations International Computing Center (UNICC)as a web developer. She studied Freelancing and Coding academics at Gaza Sky Geeks. Then she took an internship with Google for Startups.

Mai was known for her dedication, kind nature, remarkable performance, and resilience. She was soft-spoken and very hard-working. She loved her job and at her job, all were fond of her because she was there for everyone if need be.

Her passion for technology was exceptional. Her hard work was shown in her journey with Muscular Dystrophy.

She inspired countless with her unwavering determination and devotion to her work. In the tech field, she contributed with passion and proved herself as a developer at UNRWA.

She collaborated, learned, and taught closely with researchers in the UK who were working on the specialized domain of Data Science.

Mai's family was proud of her achievements and many in her family including her children wanted to follow in her footsteps. Mai was killed (embraced martyrdom) along with her other family members in an airstrike on her home in November 2023.