Gaza’s children were back to school after they spent the cruelest holiday under the Israeli attack and the besieged strip. Yet, Ali Kamal did not go back because he parted life on January 10, 2009. Ali, who is 10 years old, was in fifth primary at “Elnaqb” school in Jabalia.

On the day of martyrdom, he went out with his brother Amer, 16 years, to “El Sayeda Khadija” Mosque to perform El Magrib Prayer. Before they reached the mosque, an Israeli tank shot them. Ali, Amer, and two children from Al Sultan family died. Their bodies were scattered as torn-off limbs on the street just before the imam called o Prayer. Other people who were on their way to the mosque were injured: Ali and Amer’s father, who went to the mosque three minutes before them.　

Ali is the youngest one among his brothers and sisters. He was so dear to his mother. Because he was the youngest, he was flattered by his mother very much. His mother says to us,” During the last days, he acted in a strange way. At the beginning of the war, he used to tremble and shiver out of fear whenever he heard the sound of the bombs an the missiles. After a week from the beginning of the war, he changed. He used o tell me the news of the martyrs and the injured persons. And when I asked him,’ why aren’t you afraid?’ He told me,’ O mother I am not afraid any more.” Ali was not a child like the rest of the children, at the beginning of the war, he was helping people: He called the ambulance for an injured neighbor, and he asked everyone to help in rescuing him.

The hard and difficult moments that are underwent and felt by the mothers of Gaza could never be felt by any mother in any part of the world. Um Abdullah, at the time when her sons died, went out to make sure that her widowed sister is OK. There, she heard the son of her sister telling his mother that Ali is injured; she heard him, but he refused to tell her anything, so as not to shock her. She went quickly to her home, and near her home, she heard a woman saying that both sons of Abdullah El-Nadr died. She went toward the woman to make sure that what she heard was right, but the woman realized that she is the mother and refused to tell her anything. Indeed, she felt that something wrong happened; she went on her way and prayed to Allah saying,” O Allah, if something wrong happened to my sons or my home, make me patient.”

Um Abdullah is a mother of seven children. Now, she lost her youngest sons: Ali and Amer. Her message to the world: “ I am telling the world to have their consciences clear.” And I am asking them,” For what these children should be held guilty to be killed in such a cruel way?” She adds, “In every Prayer, I pray and say,’ O Allah let the earth turn upside down on the Israelis, for they deprived the mothers of Gaza from their children.’”

Ali loved his brother Amer very much. They used to help each other. Ali was intelligent, and he used to fast on Ramadan since he was 5. In the days of war, he and Amer used to get bread and water to their house under severe and difficult security circumstances. He was engaged all his time in offering help for his neighbors and family as if he was a member of a rescue team. His sister, Zakeya, who studies Arabic at the Islamic University says,” I felt that Ali was working in the way of Allah; I felt that something would happen to him because his actions and attitude have changed to the better.”