Image source, Ahmed al-Naouq
Image caption,
Ahmed al-Naouq took this family selfie four years in the past – most of the children in the photo are now pointless
By Stephanie Hegarty
Inhabitants correspondent, BBC World Service
Total families had been worn out in Israel’s air strikes on the densely populated streets of Gaza, the put many Palestinians reside in multi-generational homes. Three Palestinians in the UK told the BBC that larger than 20 of their family contributors had been killed in one blow – and plenty of were still caught under the rubble.
It modified into once pretty another lazy, sunny Friday afternoon four years in the past when Ahmed al-Naouq snapped this selfie together with his family. But he remembers it smartly, especially now.
Below the colour of olive bushes by his father’s condominium, his sisters and brothers acquired together with their children to eat, play and chat.
Taking a spoil from running around, the children were prepared to eat when Ahmed captured them together. Now, most of them are pointless, he says.
They were killed in an air strike which struck the family house on 22 October. In whole, 21 of us were killed including his father, three sisters, two brothers and 14 of their children.
Better than 11,000 Palestinians had been killed in the Israeli bombardment, according to Gaza’s Hamas-flee smartly being ministry. The air strikes started after the 7 October attack by Hamas, in which Israel says about 1,200 of us were killed and larger than 200 taken hostage.
Israel says its technique in Gaza has been to root out Hamas which it accuses of operating in the heart of civilian communities – and that it takes steps to mitigate civilian casualties.
In Ahmed’s photo, handiest seven of the children who were killed appear. Some weren’t there that day, some weren’t even born.
Care for many Palestinians, Ahmed’s brothers constructed their family homes above their father’s – a custom meaning generations are being worn out in one fell swoop.
Image source, al-Naouq family
Image caption,
Ahmed, who moved to London to work with an NGO, remaining seen family contributors, akin to his nephew Abdullah, in 2019
His sister Aya had long gone there to rob refuge alongside with her children after her non-public condominium modified into once damaged by an air strike. His other sisters, Walaa and Alaa, were there too with their children. The condominium modified into once in the centre of Gaza in the town of Deir al-Balah, an area that had in no blueprint been targeted sooner than. They belief it modified into once safe.
“I believed or no longer it is a long way a upsetting time for them nonetheless they will be OK,” Ahmed says, timorous now by his naivety.
Ahmed moved to London four years in the past to work for an NGO and hasn’t been house since. The remaining time he seen the children together modified into once by video name. He had been given a bonus and, as phase of a family custom, he promised his nieces and nephews a cope with.
“They all talked about that they deserve to slither to the seaside and rent a chalet and bask in meals and dance together and trip,” he says. So, he hired one and sold them dinner and snacks.
Image source, Al Naouq family
Image caption,
Abdullah modified into once six when he modified into once killed
The children known as him from the seaside that day, fighting over the telephone to keep up a correspondence.
So many of them are pointless now that Ahmed stumbles as he remembers the names and ages of each and each.
His 13-year-feeble nephew Eslam modified into once the eldest and the one he knew most productive. Ahmed modified into once a young particular person and living at house when Eslam modified into once born. His mum sorted the limited one while his sister modified into once at work, so Ahmed often helped to feed and swap him.
As Eslam grew older, he talked about wished to be like his uncle. He modified into once the high of his class, Ahmed says and working arduous at English so that he would possibly perhaps per chance well also advance to the UK.
Eslam modified into once killed alongside his limited sisters – Dima who modified into once 10, Tala who modified into once nine, Nour who modified into once five and Nasma who modified into once two, as smartly as his cousins Raghad (veteran 13), Bakr (veteran 11), girls Eslam and Sarah who were both nine, Mohamed and Basema who were eight and Abdullah and Tamim who were six.
After the attack, Ahmed posted photos of each and each of the children online to let the world know what had took put to them. Amongst them modified into once three-year-feeble Omar. The limited boy had been in mattress together with his mum Shimaa and pa Muhammed – Ahmed’s brother – when the bomb fell.