Gaza Family Mourns Children Killed in Israeli Strikes amid UN Polio Campaign

A man crouches, as Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A man crouches, as Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
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Gaza Family Mourns Children Killed in Israeli Strikes amid UN Polio Campaign

A man crouches, as Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A man crouches, as Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

Holding his teddy bear, Gazan mother Asmaa al-Wasifi mourned her 10-year-old son, who was killed in an Israeli strike before he could take his second polio shot.

The United Nations began the second round of its polio campaign in central areas of the enclave on Monday, though many Gazans said the effort was futile given the ongoing Israeli campaign to crush Hamas.

"The time for second vaccine was here, but the (Israeli) occupation did not let them live to continue their lives and their childhood," said Asmaa, crying as she went through her son's clothes and school books, Reuters reported.

Yamen, along with four of his cousins - the oldest of whom was 10 - were killed when Israel hit their family home on Sept. 24 in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

The children had received their first polio vaccines three weeks earlier in a UN campaign that prompted rare daily pauses of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in pre-specified areas.

The campaign began after a baby was partially paralysed by the type-2 polio virus in August, in the first such case in the territory in 25 years.

Yamen's grandmother Zakeya, who lost at least 10 of her family members, called for the war that has ravaged the tiny enclave of 2.3 million people for more than a year to end.

"We don't want any drinks or any aid. We want them to give us safety and security - for the war to end," she said.

Efforts to secure a ceasefire so far have faltered, with Israel and Hamas unable to agree on key demands.

Her son Osama, 35, said his wife's body was unrecognisable after the strike that also killed their four children.

The children had just had fresh haircuts to get ready for school, he added.

"They were happy like butterflies... Ten minutes later, the targeting happened. I found them all in pieces," he said



Family Returns to their Lebanese City to Find a Crater Where their 50-year-old Home Once Stood

Family Returns to their Lebanese City to Find a Crater Where their 50-year-old Home Once Stood
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Family Returns to their Lebanese City to Find a Crater Where their 50-year-old Home Once Stood

Family Returns to their Lebanese City to Find a Crater Where their 50-year-old Home Once Stood

In eastern Lebanon's city of Baalbek, the Jawhari family gathered around a gaping crater where their home once stood, tears streaming as they tried to make sense of the destruction.

“It is heart-breaking. A heartache that there is no way we will ever recover from,” said Lina Jawhari, her voice breaking as she hugged relatives who came to support the family. “Our world turned upside down in a second.”

The home, which was a gathering place for generations, was reduced to rubble by an Israeli airstrike on Nov. 1, leaving behind shattered memories and twisted fragments of a once-vibrant life.

The family, like thousands of Lebanese, were returning to check on their properties after the US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect early Wednesday.

Intense Israeli airstrikes over the past two months leveled entire neighborhoods in eastern and southern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut. Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced.

The airstrikes have left a massive trail of destruction across the country.

A photo of the Jawhari family's home — taken on a phone by Louay Mustafa, Lina’s nephew — is a visual reminder of what had been. As the family sifted through the rubble, each fragment recovered called them to gather around it.

A worn letter sparked a collective cheer, while a photo of their late father triggered sobs. Reda Jawhari had built the house for his family and was a craftsman who left behind a legacy of metalwork. The sisters cried and hoped to find a piece of the mosque-church structure built by their father. Minutes later, they lifted a mangled piece of metal from the debris. They clung to it, determined to preserve a piece of his legacy.

“Different generations were raised with love... Our life was music, dance, dabke (traditional dance). This is what the house is made up of. And suddenly, they destroyed our world. Our world turned upside down in a second. It is inconceivable. It is inconceivable," Lina said.

Despite their determination, the pain of losing their home and the memories tied to it remains raw.

Rouba Jawhari, one of four sisters, had one regret.

“We are sad that we did not take my mom and dad’s photos with us. If only we took the photos,” she said, clutching an ID card and a bag of photos and letters recovered from the rubble. “It didn’t cross our mind. We thought it’s two weeks and we will be back.”

The airstrike that obliterated the Jawhari home came without warning, striking at 1:30 p.m. on what was otherwise an ordinary Friday.

Their neighbor, Ali Wehbe, also lost his home. He had stepped out for food a few minutes before the missile hit and rushed back to find his brother searching for him under the rubble.

“Every brick holds a memory,” he said, gesturing to what remained of his library. “Under every book you would find a story.”