The Children of Gaza

Date Name Gender Age 27/12/2008 Ibtihal Kechko Girl 10   Ahmed Riad Mohammed Al-Sinwar Boy 3     Ahmed Al-Homs Boy 18     Ahmed Rasmi Abu Jazar Boy 16   Ahmed Sameeh Al-Halabi Boy 18   Tamer Hassan Al-Akhrass Boy 5   Hassan Ali Al-Akhrass Boy 3   Haneen Wael Mohammed Daban Girl 15   Khaled Sami Al-Astal Boy 15   alaat Mokhless Bassal Boy 18   Aaed Imad Kheera Boy 14   Abdullah Al-Rayess Boy 17   Odai Hakeem Al-Mansi Boy 4   Allam Nehrou Idriss Boy 18   Ali Marwan Abu Rabih Boy 18   Anan Saber Atiyah Boy 13   Camelia Al-Bardini Girl 10   Lama Talal Hamdan Girl 10   Mohammed Jaber Howeij Boy 17   Nimr Mustafa Amoom Boy 10 29/12/2008 Ismail Talal Hamdan Boy 10   Ahmed Ziad Al-Absi Boy 14   Ahmed Youssef Khello Boy 18   Ikram Anwar Baaloosha Girl 14   Tahrier Anwar Baaloosha Girl 17   Jihad Saleh Ghobn Boy 10   Jawaher Anwar Baaloosha Girl 8   Dina Anwar Baaloosha Girl 7   Samar Anwar Baaloosha Girl 6   Shady Youssef Ghobn Boy 12   Sudqi Ziad Al-Absi Boy 3   Imad Nabeel Abou Khater Boy 16   Lina Anwar Baaloosha Girl 7   Mohammed Basseel Madi Boy 17   Mohammed Jalal Abou Tair Boy 18   Mohammed Ziad Al-Absi Boy 14   Mahmoud Nabeel Ghabayen Boy 15   Moaz Yasser Abou Tair Boy 6   Wissam Akram Eid Girl 14 30/12/2008 Haya Talal Hamdan Girl 8 31/12/2008 Ahmed Kanouh Boy 10   Ameen Al-Zarbatlee Boy 10   Mohammed Nafez Mohaissen Boy 10   Mustafa Abou Ghanimah Boy 16   Yehya Awnee Mohaissen Boy 10    Ossman Bin Zaid Nizar Rayyan Boy 3   Assaad Nizar Rayyan Boy 2   Moaz-Uldeen Allah Al-Nasla Boy 5   Aya Nizar Rayyan Girl 12   Halima Nizar Rayyan Girl 5   Reem Nizar Rayyan Boy 4   Aicha Nizar Rayyan Girl 3   Abdul Rahman Nizar Rayyan Boy 6   Abdul Qader Nizar Rayyan Boy 12    Oyoon Jihad Al-Nasla Girl 16   Mahmoud Mustafa Ashour Boy 13    Maryam Nizar Rayyan Girl 5 01/01/2009 Hamada Ibrahim Mousabbah Boy 10    Zeinab Nizar Rayyan Girl 12    Sujud Mahmoud Al-Derdesawi Girl 10    Abdul Sattar Waleed Al-Astal Boy 12    Abed Rabbo Iyyad Abed Rabbo Al-Astal Boy 10    Ghassan Nizar Rayyan Boy 15    Christine Wadih El-Turk Boy 6    Mohammed Mousabbah Boy 14    Mohammed Iyad Abed Rabbo Al-Astal Boy 13    Mahmoud Samsoom Boy 16    Ahmed Tobail Boy 16    Ahmed Sameeh Al-Kafarneh Boy 17    Hassan Hejjo Boy 14    Rajeh Ziadeh Boy 18    Shareef Abdul Mota Armeelat Boy 15    Mohammed Moussa Al-Silawi Boy 10    Mahmoud Majed Mahmoud Abou Nahel Boy 16    Mohannad Al-Tatnaneeh Boy 18    Hani Mohammed Al-Silawi Boy 10 01/01/2009 Ahmed Al-Meshharawi  Boy 16    Ahmed Khodair Sobaih Boy 17    Ahmed Sameeh Al-Kafarneh Boy 18    Asraa Kossai Al-Habash Girl 10    Assad Khaled Al-Meshharawi Boy 17    Asmaa Ibrahim Afana Girl 12    Ismail Abdullah Abou Sneima Boy 4    Akram Ziad Al-Nemr Boy 18    Aya Ziad Al-Nemr Girl 8    Ahmed Mohammed Al-Adham Boy 1    Akram Ziad Al-Nemr Boy 13    Hamza Zuhair Tantish Boy 12    Khalil Mohammed Mokdad Boy 18    Ruba Mohammed Fadl Abou-Rass Girl 13    Ziad Mohammed Salma Abou Sneima Boy 9    Shaza Al-Abed Al-Habash Girl 16    Abed Ziad Al-Nemr Boy 12    Attia Rushdi Al-Khawli Boy 16    Luay Yahya Abou Haleema Boy 17    Mohammed Akram Abou Harbeed Boy 18    Mohammed Abed Berbekh Boy 18    Mohammed Faraj Hassouna Boy 16    Mahmoud Khalil Al-Mashharawi Boy 12    Mahmoud Zahir Tantish Boy 17    Mahmoud Sami Assliya Boy 3    Moussa Youssef Berbekh Boy 16    Wi’am Jamal Al-Kafarneh Girl 2    Wadih Ayman Omar Boy 4    Youssef Abed Berbekh Boy 10 05/01/2009 Ibrahim Rouhee Akl Boy 17    Ibrahim Abdullah Merjan Boy 13    Ahmed Attiyah Al-Semouni Boy 4    Aya Youssef Al-Defdah Girl 13    Aya Al-Sersawi Girl 5    Ahmed Amer Abou Eisha Boy 5    Ameen Attiyah Al-Semouni Boy 4    Hazem Alewa Boy 8    Khalil Mohammed Helless  Boy 12    Diana Mosbah Saad Girl 17    Raya Al-Sersawi Girl 5    Rahma Mohammed Al-Semouni Girl 18    Ramadan Ali Felfel Boy 14    Rahaf Ahmed Saeed Al-Azaar  Girl 4    Shahad Mohammed Hijjih Girl 3    Arafat Mohammed Abdul Dayem Boy 10    Omar Mahmoud Al-Baradei Boy 12    Ghaydaa Amer Abou Eisha Girl 6    Fathiyya Ayman Al-Dabari Girl 4    Faraj Ammar Al-Helou Boy 2    Moumen Alewah Boy 9    Moumen Mahmoud Talal Alaw Boy 10    Mohammed Amer Abu Eisha Boy 8    Mahmoud Mohammed Abu Kamar Boy 15    Marwan Hein Kodeih Girl 6    Montasser Alewah Boy 12    Naji Nidal Al-Hamlawi Boy 16    Nada Redwan Mardi Girl 5    Hanadi Bassem Khaleefa Girl 13 06/01/2009 Ibrahim Ahmed Maarouf Boy 14    Ahmed Shaher Khodeir Boy 14    Ismail Adnan Hweilah Boy 15    Aseel Moeen Deeb Boy 17    Adam Mamoun Al-Kurdee Boy 3    Alaa Iyad Al-Daya Girl 8    Areej Mohammed Al-Daya Girl 3 months    Amani Mohammed Al-Daya Girl 4    Baraa Ramez Al-Daya Girl 2    Bilal Hamza Obaid Boy 15    Thaer Shaker Karmout Boy 17    Hozaifa Jihad Al-Kahloot Boy 17    Khitam Iyad Al-Daya Girl 9    Rafik Abdul Basset Al-Khodari  Boy 15    Raneen Abdullah saleh Girl 12    Zakariya Yahya Al-Taweel Boy 5    Sahar Hatem Dawood Girl 10    Salsabeel Ramez Al-Daya Girl 6 months    Sharafuldeen Iyad Al-Daya Boy 7    Doha Mohammed Al-Daya Girl 5    Ahed Iyad Kodas Boy 15    Abdullah Mohammed Abdullah Boy 10    Issam Sameer Deeb Boy 12    Alaa Ismail Ismail Boy 18    Ali Iyad Al-Daya Boy 10    Imad Abu Askar Boy 18    Filasteen Al-Daya Girl 5    Kamar Mohammed Al-Daya Boy 3    Lina Abdul Menem Hassan Girl 10    Unidentified Boy 9    Unidentified  Boy 15    Mohammed Iyad Al-Daya Boy 6    Mohammed Bassem Shakoura Boy 10    Mohammed Bassem Eid Boy 18    Mohammed Deeb Boy 17    Mohammed Eid Boy 18    Mustafa Moeen Deeb Boy 12    Noor Moeen Deeb Boy 2    Youssef Saad Al-Kahloot Boy 17    Youssef Mohammed Al-Daya Boy 1 07/01/2009 Ibrahim Kamal Awaja Boy 9    Ahmed Jaber Howeij Boy 7    Ahmed Fawzi Labad Boy 18    Ayman Al-Bayed Boy 16    Amal Khaled Abed Rabbo Girl 3    Toufic Khaled Al-Khahloot Boy 10    Habeeb Khaled Al-Khahloot Boy 12    Houssam Raed Sobeh Boy 12    Hassan Rateb Semaan Boy 18    Hassan Ata Hassan Azzam Boy 2    Redwan Mohammed Ashoor Boy 10    Suad Khaled Abed Rabbo Girl 6    Samar Khaled Abed Rabbo Girl 2    Abdul Rahman Mohammmed Ashoor  Boy 12    Fareed Ata Hassan Azzam Boy 13    Mohammed Khaled Al-Kahloot Boy 15    Mohammed Samir Hijji Boy 16    Mohammed Fareed Al-Maasawabi Boy 16    Mohammed Moeen Deeb Boy 17    Mohammed Nasseem Salama Saba Boy 16    Mahmoud Hameed Boy 17    Hamam Issa Boy 1 08/01/2009 Anas Arif Abou Baraka Boy 7    Ibrahim Akram Abou Dakkka Boy 12    Ibrahim Moeen Jiha Boy 15    Baraa Iyad Shalha Girl 6    Basma Yasser Al-Jeblawi Girl 5    Shahd Saad Abou Haleema Girl 15    Azmi Diab Boy 16    Mohammed Akram Abou Dakka Boy 14    Mohammed Hikmat Abou Haleema Boy 17   Ibrahim Moeen Jiha Boy 15    Matar Saad Abou Haleema Boy 17 09/01/2009 Ahmed Ibrahim Abou Kleik Boy 17    Ismail Ayman Yasseen Boy 18    Alaa Ahmed Jaber Girl 11    Baha-Uldeen Fayez Salha Girl 5    Rana Fayez Salha Girl 12    Rola Fayez Salha Girl 13    Diyaa-Uldeen Fayez Salah Boy 14    Ghanima Sultan Halawa Girl 11    Fatima Raed Jadullah Girl 10    Mohammed Atef Abou Al-Hussna Boy 15

Source: Al Jazeera

 

The financial crisis had left my beloved hotel, where I work, with just a handful of guests for nearly a month now. All the rooms in four floors are empty. Like the past several days work was light and tips are low. My colleague, before he finished his shift left me a list of rooms to work on. He told me to dust off the “Baldachino” (those curtain like things that hang on the beds and head boards) using a vacuum cleaner. I went to work, finished a room and moved on to the next.

The work bored me to death and my boredom made me feel tired, sleepy and lazy. I was about to go to the next room when I decided to take a break. So I grabbed the remote control, sat on the edge of the bed and clicked on the TV. Nothing caught my interest till I got to CNN. The Cable News Network ran the war on the Gaza Strip as it dragged on for the 21st day now.

A UN facility was in flames, the Israeli army hit the compound because they were being fired upon from the building. CNN also showed a footage of a large crater some where in Gaza and the Palestinians standing around the rim of the hole looking on. BBC was running the same news and I changed the channel again. I continued to surf the channel and was about to switch it off when the studio of the Aljazeera caught my eye. The news anchor was standing and behind him was a video wall, wide and black with the names of all the Palestinian children killed written in white letters. They highlighted a name, and said he was four years old, his sisters died too killed by an Israeli bomb. They picked another name and this time the boy was two and he died in his mother’s arms. Then Aljazeera showed the images of the dead children, some of them were lined up and covered with cloth, others were covered by debris, one was mangled and many were being carried by Palestinian men. The lifeless faces of these children were scarred and bloodied. Some were “lucky” (I don’t know if this is the right word) enough to be recognised others were not. As I sat there and looked on, shivers ran down my spine and I wasn’t bored any more.

Aljezeera continued on with the children but now they showed the survivors recovering in hospitals. A pretty little girl told a reporter of a bullet hitting her hand and another one found its way on her back. I saw a boy lying down, his head bandaged, his face covered with scars and his eyes were covered with tears as he tried to talk about what happened. Some thing in me gave way when I saw this boy’s tears. I started to cry and at the same time tried to control the tears but I could not. My mind told me, “goddamit its okay to cry!” So I turned off the TV and cried.

Except for the breathing and sniffing sounds I made, the room was became quiet. I got up, paced around and dried my tears. Then I left the room draging the vacuum clearner along and headed for the service elevator. I decided to put away the machine and do something else. Tears began to fall again when the lift started to move down.

I cried a lot of times this day. I cried after I called me wife telling her what I saw. I cried again when I was on the boat on my way home. I’m crying now as I write this piece.

I don’t understand this war I couldn’t even tell who is winning. One thing is clear the Palestinian children and civilians are paying the price. I’m a father of two boys and I felt that the dead Palestinian children were my own. I wonder about the Israeli fathers and Hamas fathers who are fighting each other in this senseless war, do they cry too like me? I hope and pray that the monsters who are killing our children would stop. 

 

 

 

 

~ by musashiboogie on January 15, 2009.