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13-05-2023
GAZA CITY: Toqa al-Dalo cries relentlessly in a state of shock after hearing about the death of her best friend in Israel’s first air attack on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
As the 10-year-old got ready for school that morning, she saw her parents crying quietly. They had received word that Mayar Ezz El-Din, 10, was killed in the bombing of her home in the central Gaza Strip, along with her brother Ali, 7, and father Tariq Ezz El-Din.
“I can hardly believe what happened,” a weeping Toqa told media as she hugged a gift Mayar recently gave her after she broke her hand in an accident. “She was very kind and supported me during my injury. What was her fault and what was her little brother’s fault? Why did they kill her?”
Toqa recalled how they visited each other’s homes and were constantly messaging one other.
“I have known Mayar since we were in the first year of kindergarten, and we continued our friendship as classmates at school. She was my best friend. We were always in touch.”
Israel continued its air attacks on Gaza on Friday with the Palestinian death toll now at 31, including six children and four women. More than 100 people have been wounded as the attacks entered a fourth day. Rockets were also launched from Gaza into Israel.
Alaa and Mohammad al-Dalo, Toqa’s parents, tried to calm her down despite their own pain.
“It’s very difficult to see your child go through such a severe state of grief at this early age, when the child is supposed to be playing with friends, and not receiving the news of their horrible killing with their families while they are asleep,” Alaa told media.
“Our children in Gaza are growing up prematurely and are exposed to great traumas that are beyond their age and endurance.
“We parents are confused about how to deal with them,” she added, while wiping her daughter’s tears.
Toqa’s parents are concerned about her intense grief, but mostly fear her return to school where she won’t find Mayar by her side.
“This will greatly worsen her psyche,” said Mohammad.
“Toqa used to spend most of her time at school with Mayar and her brother Ali, who she used to play and chat with constantly because of his kindness and fun. Now there it became a heavy return to school on her heart,” he added. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
