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Rania was breastfeeding her miracle twins at night with her husband sleeping beside them. She held the twins tight to her chest and said, "If thousand people love you, I will the first one, if only one person love, it would be me, and if no one loves, I will be dead." An hour and a half later, she was awakened when her home was hit by an Israeli airstrike in the city of Rafah.
According to March 4, 2024, ITV News.' Rania screamed for her children and her husband. But there was an answer. "They were all dead."
Farouq Abu Anza, a relative of Rania, said about 35 people were staying at the house, some of whom had been displaced from other areas. Total people murdered in the airstrike were 14 people, six were children, and four were women, according to the Hospital director where the bodies were taken. In addition to her husband and children, Rania also lost a sister, a nephew, a pregnant cousin, and other relatives.
The Abu Anza twins were named Wissam and Naeem, who were born after their parents spent 10 years trying to conceive. After three rounds of IVF, Rania and her husband learnt she was pregnant early last year, and they were happy and full of joy. Rania gave birth last October 13, less than a week after Al-Aqsa Flood operation.
Rania, a widow and mother without children, stands amidst the rubble of her shattered dreams. The war stole her twins, Wissam and Naeem, and her husband, leaving her with empty arms and a heart heavy with loss. She gazes at the sky, wondering if they watch over her from beyond, their laughter carried by the wind. Rania, like many other Palestinians in Gaza or occupied Palestine, lost the people who were dearest to her, and she is tired of this war.”
In October of last year, over half of Gaza's 2.3 million population has taken refuge in Rafah after being displaced from their homes. Rafah was declared by Crime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) as a "safe zone." For the last several months, Israeli officials are threatening that city of Rafah will be their last ground offensive.
Let's hope the story or Rania's tragedy inspires all of us to call for immediate and unconditional ceasefire, extend a hand to those effect by the genocide- refugees, widows, and orphans because humanitarian aid can mend broken hearts. Above all, to hold our leaders and Israeli officials accountable for their decisions so Palestinians will have a future where no mother weeps over lost children and where peace and freedom finally bloom in Palestine.
Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired USA veteran who lives in Westerville, Ohio. He could be reached at: elyousseph6@yahoo.com