Mahmoud Hisham Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (25), single and resident of al-Satar al-Gharbi area in Khan Younis.

I am a 5^th year medical student and was studying in Sudan.  I returned to the Gaza Strip only few weeks before October 7^th as war broke out in Sudan.  I decided to return home thinking it was safer, but unfortunately few weeks later the war erupted here amid relentless bombing and constant fear.

Since day 1 of the war, sounds of airstrikes and shells reverberated everywhere enticing fear among us.  We could limitedly move in the area and only to the city center. In the first days of the war, the electricity had been completely cut off and the water crisis started while food supplies gradually ran out of the markets amid surging prices of commodities due to the closure of crossings. While bombardment intensified across the city, we started receiving news of relatives and friends killed or injured.  On 23 October 2023, my cousin, Bisan ‘Omer ‘Abdel Ghafour (17), succumbed to wounds sustained two days ago in an Israeli airstrike on her maternal grandfather’s house in central Khan Younis. On the same day, my father’s cousin, Dr. Mohammed Ahmed ‘Abdel Ghafour, was killed along with his wife and 4 of his kids, mostly children, and his house was only hundreds of meters away from our house.

Due to the intense bombardment on al-Qararah area, where most of our family lives, my aunt, Eman, and her husband as well as her sons and grandchildren evacuated to my uncle Sameer’s house next to ours.  Also, my parental grandfather, Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour, his wife, my uncle ‘Emad, his wife and kids evacuated to my uncle Sameer’s house comprised of a basement and a ground floor.

On 01 December 2023, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) declared the ground invasion of Khan Younis and issued orders to evacuate the eastern towns.  The next day, there was news about evacuation orders for our area, but my family decided to stay as we were only civilians and had no place to go and not imaging that IOF would reach our area.  On that day in the afternoon, the Israeli warplanes carried out heavy airstrikes known as fire belts on the area.  The situation was very terrifying and it became clear that IOF intended to entice fear among people, forcing many of them to evacuate, including one of my uncles.

on 04 December 2023 afternoon, we sadly received the death news of my father’s cousins, Ayman Musbah ‘Abdel Ghafour, and Riyadh ‘Abdel Karim ‘Abed al-Ghafour, in an Israeli airstrike on a house in al-Sekah area near the house they evacuated to from al-Qararah.  My uncles, Sameer and ‘Emad, went to bury their cousins and when they came back, they warned us that the situation was very dangerous and we should stay home. Before sunset, my uncle Sameer advised my dad to move to the basement in my aunt’s house, which was very close to our house, due to the heavy bombings and fire belts.  It was a very difficult and unforgettable night, we were very scared as the intensity and number of airstrikes and fire belts that hit the area were unprecedented and we could hear clashes.

We went to the roof to see what was going on; there was heavy shooting in the north and south while missiles and shells were indiscriminately and insanely falling.

In the morning, we woke up to the sound of tanks roaring, so we knew that IOF moved into al-Satar al-Gharbi area.  We were very scared and nervous and could only move from our house to my uncles’ house.  We spent 2 whole nights sleepless. Later on 07 December, we knew that my grandfather Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour’s 3-storey house in al-Majaydah neighborhood was bombed, but my grandfather had already evacuated to my uncle Sameer’s house along with my uncle ‘Emad and his family.  On that day, my cousin, Mahmoud Samir ‘Abdel Ghafour (26), went to the neighbors’ house to give them flour, but when he was late, my uncles, Sameer and ‘Emad, went to check on him and bring some groceries.  After 20 minutes, my uncle, ‘Emad, and my cousin Mahmoud arrived at my aunt’s house stunned and Mahmoud was hysterically crying. Mahmoud told us that his father, Sameer Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (53) was killed after an Israeli drone fired a missile at the house door, noting that our houses are adjacent to each other.  My uncle ‘Emad and cousin Mahmoud then went to my uncle Sameer’s house to tell the rest of the family.  We were stricken by this heavy loss and all of them burst into tears.

My uncle ‘Emad told my aunt Eman to arrange with my father, Hesham, so that they would go to burry my uncle temporarily.  My aunt said there were drones buzzing above us, but my uncle told her not to worry and go to my father.  My aunt then came to our house, where we sat in the living room and after 5 minutes we heard warplanes’ very near so we left the living room to another room.  Suddenly, we heard a strike hitting my uncle ‘Abd al-Raouf’s house located directly to the south of our house and only a street of 4 meters wide separating us.  there were 9 persons in my uncle’s house: my uncle and his family, including his married daughter with her child.

My brothers, who were in Majed Salah’s house, my aunt’s husband, came to us to go and check on my uncle ‘Abd al-Raouf’s house, so my father, brothers, aunt, and I headed to his house to pull the bodies with my cousin we saw my cousin carrying his sister’s body and her child, who was injured.  We came back to Majed Salah’s house scared and not knowing what to do until my brother, Mohammed (22) stood up and said I want to go and help them, but I asked him to stay and I would go as I study medicine and they may need me to provide first aid.  At that moment, while were still talking, a gas cylinder exploded in our house, so we decided not to go outside.  We were 9 persons, including my aunt and Majed Salah.  After 15 minutes, we heart a huge explosion, and dust and covered the house with smell of gunpowder filling the air.  We knew that IOF bombed my uncle Sameer’s house where there were my grandfather and the rest of the family, including my father.  We could not get out and from that moment we stayed in the basement.

We had scarce food and water, so we decided only to have one meal of powdered thyme and bread a day. Besieged in the basement, all of us got sick enduring starvation and thirst for 40 days while the bodies of our beloved ones were only few meters away and not being able to reach them. Also, we fast on Mondays and Thursdays to save money and food.

On 27 December 2023, we heard loud noise on the street and we checked from the house, they were the neighborhood residents checking their houses as IOF had withdrawn from the area.  At that moment, a neighbor called us to get out of the house.  We went outside with pale faces after going through extreme fear and hunger.  We asked him how to get out from here and he showed us a safe street to take leading to villas and Hamad School.  While on our way, we saw massive destruction; lands, streets and pavements were razed and the villas on the street sustained severe damage.  We arrived at Hamad School, from which we took a donkey cart to drive us to al-Qobah Mosque near al-Lahham family houses and we then headed to Rafah.

The bodies of my family members are still scattered on the street and buried under the rubble and they are as follows:

(1) My grandfather Mahmoud ‘Abdel Raouf ‘Abdel Ghafour (85)

2) His wife, Najat Nayef ‘Abdel Ghafour (56).

3) Their son, ‘Abdullah Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (16).

4) Their daughter, Nesma Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (14).

5) My father, Hesham Mahmoud ‘Abdel Raouf ‘Abdel Ghafour, (59), who was a school principal

6) My uncle ‘Abdel Raouf Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (54), an employee at the Ministry of Health.

7) His wife, Wafaa’ Hamza ‘Abdel Ghafour (47).

8) Their son Ahmed ‘Abdel Raouf Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (23).

9) Their son Mahmoud ‘Abdel Raouf Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (22).

10) Their son, ‘Ali ‘Abdel Raouf Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour, (20).

11) Their daughter, Maryam ‘Abdel Raouf Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour, (16).

12) Their daughter, Raeda ‘Abdel Raouf Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour, (12).

13) Their daughter Heba ‘Abdel Raouf Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour, (25) and her 2-year-old daughter, Misk Mohammad Al-Qedra.

14) My uncle ‘Emad Mahmoud ‘Abdel Raouf ‘Abdel Ghafour (47), a teacher.

15) His wife, Sumayah Ahmed ‘Abdel Ghafou (42)

16) Their son, Salama ‘Emad ‘Abdel Ghafour (19), who was injured on 23/10/2023 in an airstrike on his uncle’s house and had his leg amputated.

17) Their son, Mahmoud ‘Emad ‘Abdel Ghafour (14).

18) My uncle Sameer Mahmoud ‘Abdel Raouf ‘Abdel Ghafour (53)

19) His wife, Lana Youssef ‘Abdel Ghafour (44).

20) Their son Mahmoud Sameer Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (26).

21) Their son, Mohammad Sameer Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (16).

22) Their son, Ahmed Sameer Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (10).

23) Their daughter, Mariam Sameer Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (19), a medical student.

24) Their daughter, Reem Sameer Mahmoud ‘Abdel Ghafour (27), her sons, ‘Abdul Rahman ‘Abdullah Suleiman ‘Abdul Ghafour (6) and Suleiman ‘Abdullah Suleiman ‘Abdel Ghafour (2) and her daughter, Khadija Abdullah Suleiman ‘Abdel Ghafour(4).

25) Suleiman Taha ‘Abdel Ghafour (65), my aunt Iman’s husband who was displaced from al-Qarara

26) His daughter, Islam Suleiman ‘Abdel Ghafour (33).

27) His daughter, Huda Suleiman ‘Abdel Ghafour (20).

28) His daughter, Hala Suleiman ‘Abdel Ghafour (14).

29) his daughter, Ibtihal Suleiman ‘Abdel Ghafour (28) and her children Majdi Hamada ‘Abdel Ghafour (3) and 1-year-old Suleiman Hamada ‘Abdel Ghafour.