Issue No. 597
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1 - 7 August 2002 Issue No. 597 Region |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Suffer the little children
Most of the victims of Israel's attack on a residential area in Gaza were children. Taghreed El-Khodary tells the story of seven of the 11 children who lost their lives
The smell of death continued to linger in the Al-Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza, days after an Israeli F-16 fighter jet dropped a one-ton laser-guided bomb last week to assassinate Hamas military leader Sheikh Salah Shehada. Israel did manage to kill Shehada and one of his aides, but it also killed 15 civilians, 11 of them children. More than 140 people were injured in the incident, according to Shifa Hospital emergency room head, Dr Moawiya Hassanein.
Residents of Al-Daraj denied that they knew the man who topped Israel's list of wanted Palestinian fighters; Shehada had moved into their neighbourhood only a few days before the bombing, which occurred shortly after midnight on 23 July.
Three days after the widely-condemned attack, bodies were still being pulled from the rubble of the building where Shehada was hiding. On Thursday, rescue workers found the bodies of three children.
"This is the American weapon," read the Arabic- and English- language graffiti on one of the nearby buildings that was badly damaged by the bomb.
"I thought it was the Day of Judgement," recounts Naima Zaino, 33, who said that she had never heard such a terrible explosion. Zaino and her six children managed to escape harm, but her husband sustained serious injuries.
Following are the profiles of seven children, all of them from two families, who were killed in the Israeli attack:
Matar family: six dead, four badly injured. Dalia, Mohamed, Ayman and their mother, Iman, were killed, as were their cousin Dina and aunt Alaa'. All of them lived on the second floor save Alaa', who lived on the first floor, with her parents, grandmother and eight siblings. The children's aunt, Maha, spoke about them.
1. Dalia Ra'id Matar, five years old
Dalia loved to see her mother put on makeup, and demanded that she be able to try on her mother's lipstick and high-heeled shoes. Not to be left out, she insisted on accompanying her father whenever he went to the market. Dalia was an outgoing child who loved to sing and dance and was in her element at wedding parties, observing the guests carefully, then running to her grandmother to imitate them. She loved Fridays, waking everyone early to prepare to visit her uncle, who lived near the Mediterranean. She loved chocolate and potato chips.
2. Mohamed Matar, three years old
Mohamed died on his third birthday. His mother had bought him sandals and a suit to wear to a wedding party the family was to attend that day. A mischievous youngster, according to his aunt, Mohamed was known to climb up to the windows, but also loved playing with his teddy bear and bicycle.
3. Ayman Matar, 18 months old
Generally shy, Ayman lit up when strangers were around. He had an impressive appetite for a small child, and after meals would sometimes toddle down to his grandmother's on the first floor, ready to partake of seconds. When not making a place for himself at the table, Ayman could be found playing with his 10-year-old aunt, Alaa', on the roof, where the two liked to take refuge from the crowded, unpaved neighbourhood streets.
4. Alaa' Matar, 10 years old
A quiet and concerned third-grader, Alaa' was never happier than when looking after the nieces and nephews with whom she perished. A shy youngster, Alaa' nonetheless liked to go shopping for clothes, especially dresses or trinkets such as bracelets, necklaces and hair clips. She had a sweet tooth and a particular weakness for cakes and chocolate. Alaa' whiled away many hours on the swing her family had built on the house roof.
None of the family had ever left Gaza; venturing into other parts of the Strip was considered a rare treat for the children, especially given the expense. Their grandfather sold notions and children's accessories in Gaza's main thoroughfare. His son, the children's father, had been unemployed since the beginning of the two-year Intifada, which had prevented him from reaching his job in Israel, but he had recently found a position at an iron factory nearby. Halima, the 45-year-old grandmother, cried bitterly, blaming Sharon, but speaking against war. "War means destruction like this," she said, pointing at the rubble. "The only solution is peace. They kill, we kill -- no, peace through negotiation is the solution."
5. Dina Rami Matar, two months old
A cousin of the family described above, Dina was the first child of mother Hana', 24 years old and married for one year. "She looks like me," recalled Hana' of the five-kilogramme infant. "Fair, with thick, dark hair and brown eyes. Her face was like the moon." Hana' had been playing with her daughter when the explosion took place; her husband had been praying. "I heard an explosion, then looked out the window, and there were flames everywhere. I couldn't breathe, my ears were full of glass dust, and I was sure I was dying and prayed to God to kill me swiftly."
But Hana' was saved by a wardrobe under which she became lodged. "I thought I was dead. Now I'm alive and will experience death again. What kind of peace is this? And what about the one we lost? Hamas was going to try to reach an agreement in the morning, why did Israel do this at midnight?"
Al-Hwiti family: two dead. Mahmoud Al-Hwiti, 35, is the family's head. "My house is one metre away from Shehada's house, but I had no idea that he lived there." Mahmoud is a municipal employee, and said that he had always been able to provide for his children, although his salary was not high. The last thing he had bought for them was an Atari game machine and games for it. His wife, Mona Al- Hwiti, 32, was also killed in the attack.
6. Sobhi Mahmoud Al-Hwiti, four years old
"He used to love going out all the time," recalled father Mahmoud. "Whenever I went out he ran after me, I couldn't refuse. Whenever I went to work, he used to ask me to buy him things, and I always did."
7. Mohamed Al-Hwiti, five years old
At five, Mohamed already had a reputation as a naughty and daring youngster, although he was always eager to go to school each morning. He had memorised the theme songs he had heard on television, taking particular delight in those for Egyptian children's shows and cartoons. He also enjoyed programmes about outer space. "I used to take them to the beach and to the only park in Gaza every Friday," said Mahmoud. "Last weekend we went, and Mohamed swam. He was very happy."
Sitting among his family and talking of his two dead children, and the four in the hospital, Mahmoud declared that "there has to be peace. The US should put pressure on both sides." None of his children had ever left Gaza.
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