Our house was a two-story building. I lived on the ground floor with my wife Fayzeh, God rest her soul, our son ‘Udai, 23, and his wife ‘Uhud, 27. Our son Musa, 26, and his wife Suraya, 22, lived on the first floor with their two children, Ibrahim, 5, and Lin, 2. 

Our area was relatively quiet during the war, and we carried on almost as usual, despite the sound of the airplanes and bombings that terrified us. We followed the news reports on the bombing and shelling of homes and on the dead and wounded throughout the Gaza Strip. Sometimes, we also heard shelling from ships. 

On Friday, after midnight, there was massive shelling all over the northern Gaza Strip. I was with my wife and our son Musa in our apartment on the ground floor. ‘Udai and ‘Uhud were with Uhud’s family. Suraya, Musa’s wife, was also with her children at her parents’ house in a-Shati Refugee Camp. 

We heard very loud explosions nearby. We were in the living room, and the bombardment didn’t stop. Suddenly, I saw the window fly. I felt dizzy and fell down. I woke up several minutes later with lumps of concrete on me. I saw a concrete pillar still holding the roof up. Musa was next to me. My wife was, too, but she was buried under debris. 

I said to Musa, “Where’s your phone? Turn on the flashlight.” Then I told him to call for help. He called his uncle Ahmad and a friend of his. Meanwhile, I heard people shouting and screaming outside, and neighbors talking and calling Civil Defense forces and ambulances. 

At some point, neighbors came to rescue us. They lifted the rubble off me and pulled me out. I crawled out. Musa was taken out after me. An ambulance took us to the Indonesian Hospital. It was 1:30 A.M. At around 4:00 A.M., they extracted my wife Fayzeh’s body. 

I stayed at the hospital for a few hours. I was diagnosed with a fracture in the fifth vertebrae and bruises. Musa sustained bruises and partial hearing loss. We’re still recovering. At first, I went to my in-laws’, because our house was completely ruined. After the war ended, I rented this apartment.