A father in Israel-Gaza loses eleven family members in one explosion

 A father in Israel-Gaza loses eleven family members in one explosion

As he makes his way through the debris, what he sees is unmistakable.

The vibrant fabric contrasts with the gray debris. As soon as Khalil Khader takes up the child's ragged and dirty pajamas, memories take control.

The little child in her pajamas. Rosa, his 18-month-old daughter, is the family's infant.

On his phone, Khalil displays a video. Rosa is grasping the hands of two elder cousins while wearing the same blue pajamas. They dance in a circle, the three of them.

The toddlers seem to be swinging in a little wind since the footage was captured in slow motion. They're grinning. They are playing, and the conflict hasn't yet taken over their life.

Rafah's Al-Najjar Hospital employs Khalil, a 36-year-old computer engineer, as a substitute teacher. He has four small children: Ibrahim, who is nine years old; Amal, who is five years old; Kinan, who is two and a half years old; and Rosa, who is the youngest.

Khalil picks his way cautiously through the debris. The hospital is just a short walk from the residence. A mountain of metal and masonry, some home items, and a few kid's toys are now present. a little drum. a piano toy.

Khalil had been employed at the hospital on October 20, the night the missile hit.

He informed one of my BBC colleagues who accompanied him to the assault area, "A massive bomb exploded."

"My neighbors were visiting the medical facility. 'Where was the bombing?' I therefore inquired. And they said, "It was in the area of your house." I had to get over to see how the family was doing. I tried phoning, but nobody picked up. And the whole home was blasted, as you can see."

Eleven of his family members perished.

They consisted of his brother and sister-in-law, their two kids, his 70-year-old father, his two sisters, and his four children. They resided in the hospital courtyard, draped in white shrouds.

His spouse had severe injuries. In addition to other injuries from when the home fell, she is receiving treatment for burns.

In Gaza, Khalil had experienced fighting before. With a total land area of about 141 square miles (365 square kilometers), the little strip of territory has experienced constant fighting for decades. He was concerned about starting a family there because of the lasting effects of the battle.

He remembers, "I remember our neighbors were bombed during the 2014 war, and my wife was pregnant." The explosion almost sent her falling down the stairs while she was seven months pregnant. And I wondered, "How am I going to raise kids in this world?"

But he thought that maybe they might have a better life.

"I had a dream for every child I raised. When Ibrahim was in his first year of school, I used to fantasize that I would see him become a doctor. Amal has a great imagination and enjoyed painting. And sometimes I would sketch alongside her when she would show me her drawings.

"Kinan was a lot of fun and well-liked by everybody. Additionally, he once looked after his younger sister. 'Don't touch her, she's my baby,' he would remark, always watching out for Rosa. And they're all gone now."

Khalil is still looking under the debris for his sister's corpse. In the hospital, he also needs to help his wife. His kids have grown up.

However, there is affection in his eyes as he slides through picture after picture of Ibrahim, Amal, Kenin, and Rosa.

Their father will always be him.

Additional reporting was done in Jerusalem by Hanin Abdeen, Alice Doyard, Morgan Gisholt Minard, and John Landy, as well as for Gaza by Mahmoud Bassam.