I I am a Palestinian mother with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in physics and am currently a PhD student. I work as a lecturer at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Gaza University.
I married my first husband when I was 22 years old. We had two children. We have a son, Shihab, who is currently 19 years old, and a daughter, Maryam, who is 17 years old. Sadly, in 2007 my husband passed away in a tragic accident that I witnessed. I had a mental breakdown and a few years later I remarried my first husband’s brother. I became his second wife. He already had a wife and three children. Asmar (16 years old), Ali (13 years old), and Muhammad (12 years old). Together they had four children. They are Zeina (currently 12 years old), Yassin (11 years old), Naseeba (8 years old), and Zain al-Din (2 years old).
Then his first wife separated from him and I raised all the children as one family.
The day my husband and son Ali were killed, I buried them under heavy gunfire.
My second husband, Kamel Algarban, had a master’s degree in business administration and worked as a police officer specializing in drug enforcement. We lived as a blended family with his three children, my two children, and our four children.
We were the happiest family imaginable.
Shihab graduated from high school with excellent grades. Mariam was preparing for the Taujihi exam (taken at the end of secondary school) this year, but the war disrupted everything and she is now studying online and trying to take on the challenge.
On the first day of the war, we woke up to what we thought was thunder and knew the war had begun. On November 15 last year, my family and I were forced to evacuate our home in Khan Yunis and take shelter in a school in horribly inhumane conditions. We briefly returned home, but the shelling intensified and we had to take shelter in the school again. On December 5th, she was hit by a shell, killing her husband Kamel and son Ali instantly.
Mohammed suffered severe injuries to his back and legs, which required his leg to be amputated. He was evacuated from Gaza and is currently receiving treatment in Türkiye.
After Israeli occupation forces withdrew in April, people began returning to Khan Yunis. The kids and I are back. Her first husband’s house was still standing, but her second husband’s house was destroyed.
On April 12, when we were moving our belongings from school to our first house, Shihab and Yasin and I tried to pitch a tent on top of the rubble of our house. Yassin stood on the rubble and issued a call to prayer. Suddenly, a missile exploded nearby. The scene was pitch black with smoke. While searching for Yasin, they found both of his legs missing and the fingers of his right hand severed.
Due to a lack of transportation and ambulances, they could not reach the hospital for an hour and a half. When he arrived, doctors told him his blood count was extremely low and he needed eight units of blood and four units of plasma.
Yassin remained in a European hospital for three months until the occupation forces ordered his evacuation. We moved to Nasser Hospital, where the charity Médecins Sans Frontières began managing his care. We are deeply grateful to the team who worked tirelessly to support Yassin’s health and psychological recovery.
The day my husband and Ali were killed, I buried them under heavy gunfire. I left Muhammad with his aunts at Nasser Hospital and fled to Rafah with the remaining children without money, shelter, food or water. We stayed in a warehouse for a month before moving to tents, enduring conditions similar to those of thousands of other refugees.
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Yassin had a YouTube channel where he shared his love for raising animals, planting trees, playing soccer, and memorizing the Quran. He dreamed of becoming a football player.
Israeli authorities recently allowed Yassin to travel for medical treatment, but I was denied permission to accompany him on the pretext that I posed a security threat to Israel. I’m an academic, a mother, and a PhD student. How can you threaten the safety of others?
If the war ends before I die, I intend to leave Gaza permanently and seek asylum in any country in Europe. I have endured unspeakable hardships and I no longer feel safe. These are the worst days of my life.
I really want to find the right food to take care of Yasin’s nutrition. He had surgery 3 days ago and is unable to find protein-rich foods to support his recovery.
Fadwa al-Masri spoke to Aseel Moussa via video link from Gaza
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