FreedomFighter
Junior Member
:salam2:
Israel Is Not Fighting A Strong Country
On 14th February 2009, almost a month after Israel held a one-sided ceasefire in Gaza, a 13 year old boy, Hammad Silmiya looked after his sheeps and goats in the north east of Gaza, around 500 meters from the Israeli border. An Israeli military jeep that was on patrol suddenly fired at him and his friends. Hammad was shot in the head and he fell dead in an instant.
Earlier, the family of Hammad also had to mourn over the death of his grandmother, two cousins aged four and 18 months, and the destructions of their houses and livestock during the Israeli invasion.
"On Saturday morning, Hammad woke up at six o’clock," Jomaia, Hammad’s auntie said.
"He went out with his male relatives and some friends to tend the animals. At around 10 o’clock in the morning Hammad prepared breakfast on the ground like what he normally did. Then, an Israeli military vehicle fired at them."
Jomaia took out a plastic bag from her folded black scarf and opened it. There was a portrait of Hammad inside a piece of small envelope when he was seven years old. His latest portraits were lost in the ruins of their houses.
"Hammad was already like a son to me as I don’t have any child and he always slept besides me," Jomaia said. "Every time he needed something, he would ask it from me. They always told Hammad that he didn’t just have one mother but two – his real mother and me. Hammad had owned a half of my heart and the other half of the heart went with him when he died."
Hammad left school a few months ago to become a shepherd and help out his family. "I tried to force him to go back to school but what he needed was to work with the goats and ride on his donkey," Jomaia said. "He was kind to the animals. Every time he came back from school, he would toss his bag in the house and set out to be near his livestock. A night before Hammad was killed, I dreamt of a wedding ceremony, which in our tradition is a bad sign. The moment somebody came to bring the news of Hammad’s death by Israeli bullets, I wasn’t shocked as I saw him as a groom in my dream the night before."
Hammad’s real mother, Salma, sat besides Jomaia at the temporary shelter. Her other family members lived besides the ruins if their houses in Hay al-Salama, northeast of Gaza. This Bedouin family came to Gaza as refugees from Beersheva (which later was called Bir al-Saba) in 1948 and resided in the region of Hay al-Salama. Before the latest Israeli attack, they owned a big house and farm, which later was destroyed in the Israeli attack in January 2009.
"The tanks began to shell our village at 2 o’clock before dawn on the 5th of January," Jomaia said. "The first bomb hit our house and I ran to my mother’s bedroom because she was already 80 years old and ill. Then, when the second explosion hit our house again, we had to run, leaving my mother inside. We were like sheeps in fear when the door of our house was opened. We ran away and escaped to Jabaliya, and then to Zeitoun, and took refuge inside a school. Every day, I asked the ambulance and doctors to help me go and take my mother away. In fact I even told them that I would walk in front of the ambulance waving a white flag, but it was too dangerous and they refused."
When the family of Silmiya returned to their village on 18th January, they discovered that the row of houses were already flattened by the F-16 and it took three days to get the dead body of Hammad’s grandmother from the rubbles. Hammad was buried beside his grandmother.
As this village is very close to the border, several aids had arrived. The tents in the nearest refugee camp is not suitable for Silmiyas because they need to be near their animals and a Bedouin family prefers to live detached.
"The war has not ended yet," Salma said. "There is no peaceful time in Gaza and we always see the F-16 flying in the sky. But Hammad was never scared. He was strong and brave. Everybody loves Hammad."
On the days before Hammad’s death, he was sad because his donkey had been killed during the Israeli invasion, as well as sixty of his goats and three cattles belonging to his father Barrak Salem Salaam Silmiya. "We want peace, but where can it be found? Where are the rights of the human beings in Gaza?" Barrak asked when he showed us the animals that were still floating in the mud around the rubbles of his house.
"Hammad was 13 years old. Everybody knows that he was still a kid, but they still shot him. In fact, he was only sitting down enjoying his food and tea when they murdered him. He was very clever and outstanding. Before, he even used to sell milks and cheeses in the market. What else could I tell to the world about my son? How could I speak about it? When even the big nations could not stop the Israeli’s violence, then what else could I do? I feel as if I am nothing. This village only has houses and roads. Do they think that these goats are the Mujahideen that they look for all these while?"
When Barrak got up to leave, Salma stood up: "Today is the 156th day since Hammad died."
"Everybody who saw Hammad that morning said that his face looked truly handsome," auntie Jomaia added. "What happens in our country is not a war against the government or a strong country. Israel is killing us as if we are animals and not even one person is stand by us."
Israel Is Not Fighting A Strong Country
On 14th February 2009, almost a month after Israel held a one-sided ceasefire in Gaza, a 13 year old boy, Hammad Silmiya looked after his sheeps and goats in the north east of Gaza, around 500 meters from the Israeli border. An Israeli military jeep that was on patrol suddenly fired at him and his friends. Hammad was shot in the head and he fell dead in an instant.
Earlier, the family of Hammad also had to mourn over the death of his grandmother, two cousins aged four and 18 months, and the destructions of their houses and livestock during the Israeli invasion.
"On Saturday morning, Hammad woke up at six o’clock," Jomaia, Hammad’s auntie said.
"He went out with his male relatives and some friends to tend the animals. At around 10 o’clock in the morning Hammad prepared breakfast on the ground like what he normally did. Then, an Israeli military vehicle fired at them."
Jomaia took out a plastic bag from her folded black scarf and opened it. There was a portrait of Hammad inside a piece of small envelope when he was seven years old. His latest portraits were lost in the ruins of their houses.
"Hammad was already like a son to me as I don’t have any child and he always slept besides me," Jomaia said. "Every time he needed something, he would ask it from me. They always told Hammad that he didn’t just have one mother but two – his real mother and me. Hammad had owned a half of my heart and the other half of the heart went with him when he died."
Hammad left school a few months ago to become a shepherd and help out his family. "I tried to force him to go back to school but what he needed was to work with the goats and ride on his donkey," Jomaia said. "He was kind to the animals. Every time he came back from school, he would toss his bag in the house and set out to be near his livestock. A night before Hammad was killed, I dreamt of a wedding ceremony, which in our tradition is a bad sign. The moment somebody came to bring the news of Hammad’s death by Israeli bullets, I wasn’t shocked as I saw him as a groom in my dream the night before."
Hammad’s real mother, Salma, sat besides Jomaia at the temporary shelter. Her other family members lived besides the ruins if their houses in Hay al-Salama, northeast of Gaza. This Bedouin family came to Gaza as refugees from Beersheva (which later was called Bir al-Saba) in 1948 and resided in the region of Hay al-Salama. Before the latest Israeli attack, they owned a big house and farm, which later was destroyed in the Israeli attack in January 2009.
"The tanks began to shell our village at 2 o’clock before dawn on the 5th of January," Jomaia said. "The first bomb hit our house and I ran to my mother’s bedroom because she was already 80 years old and ill. Then, when the second explosion hit our house again, we had to run, leaving my mother inside. We were like sheeps in fear when the door of our house was opened. We ran away and escaped to Jabaliya, and then to Zeitoun, and took refuge inside a school. Every day, I asked the ambulance and doctors to help me go and take my mother away. In fact I even told them that I would walk in front of the ambulance waving a white flag, but it was too dangerous and they refused."
When the family of Silmiya returned to their village on 18th January, they discovered that the row of houses were already flattened by the F-16 and it took three days to get the dead body of Hammad’s grandmother from the rubbles. Hammad was buried beside his grandmother.
As this village is very close to the border, several aids had arrived. The tents in the nearest refugee camp is not suitable for Silmiyas because they need to be near their animals and a Bedouin family prefers to live detached.
"The war has not ended yet," Salma said. "There is no peaceful time in Gaza and we always see the F-16 flying in the sky. But Hammad was never scared. He was strong and brave. Everybody loves Hammad."
On the days before Hammad’s death, he was sad because his donkey had been killed during the Israeli invasion, as well as sixty of his goats and three cattles belonging to his father Barrak Salem Salaam Silmiya. "We want peace, but where can it be found? Where are the rights of the human beings in Gaza?" Barrak asked when he showed us the animals that were still floating in the mud around the rubbles of his house.
"Hammad was 13 years old. Everybody knows that he was still a kid, but they still shot him. In fact, he was only sitting down enjoying his food and tea when they murdered him. He was very clever and outstanding. Before, he even used to sell milks and cheeses in the market. What else could I tell to the world about my son? How could I speak about it? When even the big nations could not stop the Israeli’s violence, then what else could I do? I feel as if I am nothing. This village only has houses and roads. Do they think that these goats are the Mujahideen that they look for all these while?"
When Barrak got up to leave, Salma stood up: "Today is the 156th day since Hammad died."
"Everybody who saw Hammad that morning said that his face looked truly handsome," auntie Jomaia added. "What happens in our country is not a war against the government or a strong country. Israel is killing us as if we are animals and not even one person is stand by us."