Many mothers in Gaza are experiencing a very cruel human tragedy, after they lost their children in various circumstances without knowing their fate. Were they martyred in the ongoing Israeli bombing on various areas of the besieged Strip? Or are they still alive? Mothers spoke in testimonies to Tel Aviv Tribune about their suffering with this tragedy.
A woman describes her son, Baraa (16 years old), whom the family lost, as the soul of her life. She says, “I remember him every moment, and he never leaves my mind… Even now I wonder: Was he martyred or is he still alive?”
Another woman lost her son Mustafa on January 1 in the afternoon. He had been seen at the European Roundabout with his friend, and they disappeared at the same time.
She says that they have been searching for him for more than 5 months. They went to the Civil Defense and searched for him among the unknown bodies in cemeteries and hospitals, but they did not find a trace of him.
Another woman is experiencing the same tragedy, as she lost her son Muhammad on the first day of the new year. They searched for him in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, to no avail. The bereaved mother hopes that God Almighty will reassure her heart and know the fate of her son.
There is a third woman who has four children between the ages of 12 and two and a half years. They were martyred and she was injured in an Israeli bombing of their house. She says that they were buried in Gaza City, but she was forced to leave Gaza, and today she is experiencing severe suffering over their loss, and her heart is burning, because the cemetery in which they were buried was scattered by forces. The Israeli occupation: “How can I go to Gaza and not find the graves of my children to visit?”
A United Nations report – at the beginning of this month – estimated the number of missing persons in the Gaza Strip at more than 10,000, including those whose fate is unknown, detainees, and unknown burial place. It is estimated that recovering bodies in Gaza may take more than 3 years.
