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August 06, 2014<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/06/in-gaza-we-have-lost-so-many-that-we-love/">http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/06/in-gaza-we-have-lost-so-many-that-we-love/</a><br>
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<div class="subheadlinestyle"><big><big><big><b>Targeting the
Future Generations</b></big></big></big></div>
<h1 class="article-title">In Gaza, We Have Lost So Many That We
Love</h1>
<div class="mainauthorstyle">by Dr. MONA EL-FARRA</div>
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<p>It’s been three days since Israel’s deadly attack on my
cousin’s home and I still haven’t been able to go to Khan
Younis to mourn with my surviving family. The Israeli bombing
is ongoing and it’s difficult and very dangerous to travel 18
miles from where I’m living and working in Gaza City. Today
Israel announced a ceasefire and I wanted to go to Khan
Younis. But we have learned we cannot trust these ceasefires
and one of my cousins called and begged, “Please don’t come,
no where is safe, and you don’t need to take the risk.”</p>
<p>There is no safe place in Gaza. I’ve said it many times
before in writing, in interviews, because it is the
frightening reality for us. Many families have been erased
and everyone in Gaza is wondering when it will be their turn.
Between 60 to 65 families have been wiped out completely. My
family is no different from any other in the Gaza Strip. Part
of my family has been erased. We are always wondering, “Who
will be next?”</p>
<p>Here is the story of my family, just one among many stories
in Gaza:</p>
<p>At 2:30a.m. on Friday, August 1, my family received a first
“warning” bomb on the roof of their house while they slept.
They jumped up, woke the children, and told everyone to run
outside. The family lived in a four-story apartment building.
Three to four minutes after the first bomb, a second larger
bomb hit the building. Part of the family was outside running
into the street, but part of the family was still in the
building when the second Israeli bomb hit.</p>
<p>My cousin’s son Emad was trying to bring the children
together to move them to a safer place when a third rocket hit
them in the street and killed them all where they stood.
There were body parts everywhere, most of them children. This
series of attacks killed nine members of my family:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Abed Almalek Abed Al Salam El-Farra, 64 years</p>
<p>Osamah Abed Almalek El-Farra, 34 years</p>
<p>Awatef A’ez Eldeen El-Farra, 29 years</p>
<p>Emad El-Farra, 28 years</p>
<p>Mohamad Mahmoud El-Farra, 12 years</p>
<p>Nadeen Mahmoud El-Farra, 9 years</p>
<p>Yara Abed Al Salam El-Farra, 8 years</p>
<p>Abed Al Rahaman El-Farra, 8 years</p>
<p>Lujain Basem El-Farra, 4 years</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Also, ten more people were injured in this bombing, among
them one family member, Afaf, who was pregnant and miscarried
her baby.</p>
<p>The night my relatives were killed was one of the worst
nights throughout Gaza. No one could sleep because the
bombing was everywhere. At 4 a.m. I opened Facebook and saw
that a post about Abed Almalek and some of his children and
grandchildren being killed. I immediately called my cousin
Mahmoud in Khan Younis and when he answered the phone, he was
weeping. Mahmoud is a headmaster at the UN school in that
area, taking care of refugees and he confirmed the news. It
was a shocking painful moment, but this is Gaza. You find
yourself supporting someone because they lost their loved ones
and suddenly you find that same person supporting you in your
loss. And later we both support others in their loss. It’s
like a circle.</p>
<p>It’s tragic and sad for our family and for everyone in Gaza.
Abed Almalek was one of the father figures in our family.
We are a family of refugees who were driven into Gaza when
our land was taken by Israelis in 1948. Abed was a
businessman who owned a home painting and decorating shop.</p>
<p>Israel is killing and destroying homes, schools,
infrastructure—everything. When Germany bombed London during
World War 2, the English built bomb shelters under London
Underground stations to protect civilians. Even with
shelters, the English evacuated hundreds of thousands of
children from any area that might be targeted, even sending
thousands of children overseas for safety. But in Gaza’s
case, where can our children go? Where can our people go? We
are not safe at home and not safe in United Nations
facilities. We are targeted by the Israeli military just
because we are Palestinian. Our Israeli attackers are cowards
because they target civilians and especially children. They
are trying to kill the future of our people by targeting the
next generations.</p>
<p>But I’m very proud of the people in Gaza. Despite all of
the pain and violence, people are coming together, supporting
one another, sharing whatever they have. It’s an issue of
survival. Israel’s attacks are aimed at killing us as
individuals, as a country and as a cause. So I get up every
morning because it is my duty to my community and because I
know others are doing their duty to keep me and my country and
my cause alive.</p>
<p>I don’t want condolences on a personal level. This is a
tragedy for everyone in the Gaza Strip and for every
Palestinian. I want people to take a stand and take action to
stop these war crimes.</p>
<p><em><b>Dr. Mona El-Farra,</b> Director of Gaza Projects, is a
physician by training and a human rights and women’s rights
activist by practice in the occupied Gaza Strip.</em></p>
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