In the heart of the Gaza Strip, the town of Zawaida witnessed a tragic incident on what seemed to be an ordinary day. Massa Abed, a vibrant 4-year-old, brought her doll and rubber ball to join friends in play near her family home. This sense of normalcy, recently reclaimed by the Abed family amidst a tense calm, was violently disrupted.
The tranquility was shattered when an Israeli strike targeted a tent positioned by the roadside, claiming the lives of Massa and other innocent children. Her 16-year-old brother, driven by desperation and sorrow, hurried Massa’s lifeless body to the hospital using a donkey cart. His grief was palpable as he mourned over her after she was declared dead.
Days following the heartbreaking event, Massa’s father, Samy Abed, clutched her small green ball and recounted the harrowing attack. “She had a ball on her lap and a doll in her hand. Can she threaten anyone with these?” he lamented. “She was just 4 years old, unable to carry even a rock.”
The Israeli military has yet to comment on the strike’s intent or the reasons behind targeting the area close to Deir al-Balah. Israeli authorities typically hold Hamas accountable for civilian casualties, accusing the group of using residential locales as operational bases, thereby endangering local inhabitants by using them as shields.
The renewed conflict has led to a grim toll in Gaza. Zaher al-Wahidi, a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry, reported that over 809 children have been killed since Israel intensified its military actions over the past month. The overall death toll exceeds 52,000 Palestinians since the conflict reignited in October 2023. The Health Ministry emphasizes that more than half of these casualties comprise women and children, while Israel claims the death of over 20,000 militants without detailing these figures.
The outbreak of violence was rekindled on March 18 by an unexpected Israeli airstrike, ending a brief six-week ceasefire brokered by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt. Hundreds perished, and diplomatic efforts to restore peace have stalled. Israel has warned of escalating military actions should Hamas fail to liberate the hostages taken during its October 7 incursion into southern Israel, which led to the deaths of around 1,200 people and the abduction of 250, 59 of whom remain in captivity. Consequently, Israel has imposed stringent blockades on Gaza, cutting off essential supplies like food and medicine, in an effort to compel Hamas’s compliance.
At the hospital, the scene was somber. Bodies of Massa’s young companions lay in heart-wrenching silence, underscoring the peril children face amidst ongoing airstrikes. Massa’s father described his daughter as possessing a spirited personality far beyond her years, an extroverted child who charmed everyone around her. His sorrow was compounded by the images of her playing joyously, now juxtaposed with photos of her after the tragedy.
These memories haunt the family, a constant presence in both waking hours and dreams. Massa’s uncle, Majdi Abed, speaks of seeing visions of her, moments shattered by the realization that she is no longer among them. Her absence looms large over family gatherings and meals, forever altering their reality.
Massa’s spot at the breakfast table remains a poignant void as the family grapples with profound loss and enduring memories of their beloved girl.