Date of Testimony: 10 September 2025

Enas Sami Salem Abu Daraz, 30 years old, resident of eastern Khan Younis, currently displaced in Al-Mawasi

I am originally from Abasan Al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis. Currently, my family and I are displaced near Al-Attar station in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. I am married and the mother of five children.

At around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 2 September 2025, I was sitting with my husband, Mohammed Ibrahim Abu Daraz, and our five children, having lunch in our tent near Al-Attar station in Al-Mawasi. After lunch, my two daughters, Noursin, aged 10, and Heba, aged 7, took an empty water bucket and went just outside the tent to fetch water from a nearby well we use for household needs. Exactly one minute after they stepped out, at around 1:40 p.m., I heard a massive explosion followed by the sound of shrapnel scattering everywhere.

I immediately rushed outside and saw thick smoke rising from the water collection point. As I approached, I saw around eight people lying on the ground, covered in blood. I tried to recognize them and realized two of them were my daughters, Noursin and Heba. They were lying side by side, soaked in blood. I began screaming uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the horrific sight. People around hesitated to approach, fearing another Israeli airstrike.

The scene was unbearable. Most of those who had gathered to fill water were children, and many of them were torn into pieces. My eldest, Noursin, had been struck by shrapnel in her eye—her eye was completely gone. Heba was bleeding heavily from her chest, having been struck directly in the heart. My daughters were innocent children in this war. I held them in my arms, screaming in shock, until my brother, Thaer Abu Daraz, arrived, took them from me, and carried them to the main road to wait for an ambulance.

Ambulances arrived about half an hour after the strike. I quickly changed my clothes and rushed to Nasser Hospital, where I arrived at around 2:30 p.m. I already knew in my heart they were martyrs and had died at the scene. Later, I bid them farewell, along with relatives and neighbors, before the family performed prayers over their bodies and laid them to rest in Al-Namsawi Cemetery near Nasser Hospital.

I later learned that an Israeli drone had fired a bomb or missile at the group of children gathered around the water taps to fill containers with saline household water. In the blink of an eye, I lost my two daughters. This was a crime against innocent children who had committed no wrong. My daughters were not the only victims—13 civilians were killed, including 8 children, in addition to others who were injured and are receiving treatment in hospital.

Our family has suffered greatly. We are originally from Abasan Al-Kabira, in eastern Khan Younis, but have been displaced since the early days of the war. For nearly two years, we have been moving from tent to tent under extremely harsh living conditions, after our home was destroyed in the first days of the war. Despite everything, we say Alhamdulillah (praise be to God).