On the morning of March 20, however, just a few days after his return, Israel bombed the house where Musab had taken refuge.
Since October 7, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, which killed over 32,000 people and wounded over 74,000 more.
A recent poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research has revealed a shocking truth: nearly 80 percent of Palestinians in Gaza reported that at least one member of their family has been killed or injured by Israeli occupation forces.
Nobody was spared, not even Palestinians who, for a mere coincidence, found themselves out of Gaza in the beginning of the war.
Umrah Pilgrimage
“About two weeks before the start of the war, my cousin Musab went to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah pilgrimage, and when the war broke out on October 7, he was still there,” Bilal Darwish told The Palestine Chronicle .
The Darwish family has lost several members since the early days of war following relentless Israeli airstrikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza.
“Musab was closely following the events, performing Umrah on behalf of our martyred children, and praying for the people of Gaza from within the Mecca sanctuary,” Bilal told us.
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“His tears were constantly flowing, and his only desire was to return to his three daughters and to his family,” Bilal continued.
Indeed, Musab managed to return to Gaza after many attempts at crossing the Rafah border.
“Musab got married about six years ago and he had three young daughters. He knew that there was no safe place in Gaza, but for him, the only important thing was being with his family, so he was very happy when he finally had the chance to return home”.
On the morning of March 20, however, just a few days after his return, Israel bombed the house where Musab had taken refuge and he was killed, while dozens of others were wounded.
“Musab was the only martyr in that Israeli bombing of the Nuseirat refugee camp,” Bilal told us.
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“He lived alone, in exile, for several months since the beginning of the war and departed as a martyr, alone, due to an Israeli airstrike.
“His only wish was for him to provide his family with material and psychological support, but he was killed, leaving his family and three young daughters behind, in a new crime committed by the occupation against Palestinian families in Gaza.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Abdallah Aljamal is a Gaza-based journalist. He is a contributor for The Palestine Chronicle from the Gaza Strip. His email is abdallahaljamal1987@gmail.com
