On Tuesday, the Israeli bombardment of Gaza tragically resulted in the deaths of ten civilians, including a beloved dentist who had dedicated his life to helping those in need. For years, he had provided free dental care to underserved and underprivileged families, and his loss is deeply felt by many.
Jamal Khuswan, his wife Mervat, and their 21-year-old son Youssef, a medical student, were killed in the middle of the night while asleep in their Gaza City apartment. Seven other civilians, including women and children, were also killed by the same strikes in other parts of the Gaza Strip.
Khuswan, the former chief executive of Al-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital and a leader in the local union of dentists, was praised by the health department for his unwavering commitment to providing humanitarian aid. Dubbed a national figure, Khuswan has been a tireless advocate for those in need.
Khuswan’s brother Mohammad reported that the family’s other four children were fortunate enough to survive the attack with only minor injuries.
After an emotional visit to the morgue, Mohammad stood outside, overwhelmed with difficult emotion. He had just seen the body of his older brother, a man in his fifties who held both Russian and Palestinian nationality, having studied in Russia for a number of years. “It felt tough, very bad, in an unusual way,” the man said.
As the dust settled in the aftermath of the disaster, people throughout the densely populated area were left to pick up the pieces of their former lives. In some places, survivors dug through the ruins of their homes, desperately searching for any documents or furniture that may have withstood the destruction.
As explosions ripped through the air, the children of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip awoke in a panic. Hani Jaber, a resident of the area, recounted the chaos, saying “We have children, women, and elderly here. What happened wasn’t normal.” The bombing, which occurred overnight, claimed the lives of a top Islamic Jihad leader and his wife.
Residents of the Gaza Strip were met with horror as Israeli air strikes decimated several residential buildings in the densely populated area. The 140 square mile patch of land is home to 2.3 million Palestinians, making it one of the most densely populated regions in the world.
For generations, Palestinians have endured a tumultuous history, marked by wars and hostility by the Israeli occupation. In 2008, this tension reached a fever pitch, with the commencement of a 16-year-long Israeli-led blockade on the Gaza region.
According to Gaza Health officials, this blockade has had a crippling effect on the Palestinian economy, as well as on the ability of health institutions to develop and grow.
On Tuesday morning, the streets of Gaza were eerily quiet, only punctuated by the sound of taxis and ambulance vans speeding through the city. The vehicles were ferrying relatives of the 13 people killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza to their funerals, an event that was filled with sadness and grief.
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