Earlier this month, an Israeli strike destroyed a villa in Gaza, resulting in the death of dozens of family members of Sana, who had recently accepted a position as a nutritionist in Dubai and was about to embark on a new life in Dubai – her cousin Alia was also among the victims, who had just accepted a position in Dubai as a nutritionist and was about to embark on a new chapter in her life.
The brave smile on Sana’s face is displayed during the course of the course of her work at a department store in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. It is no secret that behind that smile lies a world of grief that is unfathomable-the pain of losing a loved one. It has been less than two weeks since this Palestinian woman experienced such an incredibly horrific event, which was the cause of her emotional destruction.
Her eyes filled with tears as she tried to talk about the tragedy and her voice faltered when she attempted to do so. As a result, Alia was accustomed to believing that she was suffering a relatively minor loss compared to the immense losses that Alia’s older sister, who lives in Abu Dhabi, and her husband have suffered as a result of losing their mother. They are too traumatized to speak to anyone because their parents were also killed in the attack, so they are too traumatised to speak to anybody.”
As a matter of respect for the privacy of those who have been impacted by the tragedy, the Khaleej Times has altered the identities of those affected.
As Sana scrolled through her phone to display the desperate WhatsApp messages that she sent to her cousin after hearing about the attack, she thought to herself, “Why must all those wonderful people back home have to suffer a tragedy like this? Oh Alia, I have so many memories with her.” Her cousin replied, “I hope you are alright.” It was clear from her message that she had sent that her cousin was in great danger.
Sana clung on to hope for hours in the hope of hearing from her beloved cousin, but it was only a matter of time before the devastating truth sunk in. Five extended families of five individuals were searching for safety in a three story villa in Rafah, southwest of Gaza. A missile struck the villa around 8:00 pm on October 16, the time when a missile struck the villa. It was the first time in history that no one survived.
A total of 30 bodies were pulled out of the debris as a result of the search. As a result of the accident, Sana’s uncle, the owner of the villa, as well as his wife and daughter Naila, as well as her four children, were among the deceased. “It was a vacation house, and they had just moved in a few weeks ago. They thought it was a safe place. They had been in it just for vacations,” declared Sana. He lived in Saudi Arabia and was visiting Gaza with his family. In a family meeting that occurred in Gaza, his daughter who had been married and lived elsewhere came to her parents’ house with her children, two of whom were attending university, the youngest of whom was eight years old. They all passed away.”
The memories of Sana’s visit to Gaza in 2021 haunt her nights, and she claims that they often keep her awake at night. Then, as she looked at the pictures on her phone, she recalled the days spent in cafes with Alia, as well as the joys they shared together. She showed the pictures to the audience. As Sana recalled, her voice quivered as she recalled how Alia was so full of life in the past. Her master’s degree was in nutrition and she had just been hired by a company in Dubai. The first thing she said to me was, “I won’t stay with my sister in Abu Dhabi; I’ll stay with you.’ The only thing she wanted was to study. She was fiercely ambitious and could not stop pursuing degrees. In the past, we used to tease her about the number of degrees she’d earn. Alia was thrilled to be coming to Dubai; she had never been here before and was eagerly anticipating the vibrant culture and opportunities this city has to offer. Ala, fate had ordained otherwise.”
As a child, Sana spent most of her time at her father’s place of employment in Abu Dhabi, where he worked for the government. In 2014, she and her husband became husband and wife. Five years later, her husband died from a heart attack, leaving her and her two infant twins behind to raise on their own.
Sana’s support system has grown to include Alia and her extended family, who have become a vital part of the support system for Sana. As she stared blankly into space, Sana said, “Now all of that is gone. “It’s gone in minutes. My ailing parents are inconsolable, and I can’t even begin to imagine how Alia’s brother has been affected having lost her mother and her in-laws as well as her younger sister.”
There’s now the challenge that Sana faces with maintaining her composure in front of her coworkers and patrons at the mall, as well as interacting with the manager. In light of the severity of her loss, her employer has suggested that she take some time off, but she is fearful that being alone at home will result in her becoming crazy. In spite of the fact that it isn’t easy for me to keep myself busy, I am trying my best.”
A female doctor in Sharjah has also suffered a devastating loss, while Sana struggles to deal with the situation she is in while dealing with her own circumstances. A massive airstrike took place in another area of Gaza on Sunday, October 29, which claimed the lives of many of her relatives. It is estimated that almost 40% of the 8,000 deaths predicted for Gaza in the near future will be caused by children.
There have been at least 3,457 child deaths in Gaza since October 7, according to figures released on Sunday by the nongovernmental organization Save the Children, citing Palestinian health authorities, with 36 deaths occurring in the West Bank as well. According to Save the Children, more children have been killed in Gaza in the last three weeks than have been killed in conflict worldwide every year since 2019.
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