With hundreds of civilians shot and killed near aid distribution centers in Gaza in recent weeks, allegations mount over Israeli military tactics.
A little over a week ago, Mahmoud Qassem lost his son, Khader. The 19-year-old had been trying to reach a food distribution center run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in central Gaza.
“The last time his mother and I heard from him was at 11 p.m. that night. He told me he was in a safe place — he had gone to the Netzarim distribution center — and I told him to take care,” Qassem told DW from a tent in Gaza City, where the family has been displaced.
“At 1 a.m., I tried calling him again, but his phone wasn’t receiving calls. I started to feel anxious. There was no word the whole time, and I waited until 2 p.m. on Friday. I felt like a fire was burning inside me,” said the 50-year-old.
On Friday, Qassem went to central Gaza and checked the hospitals until he discovered that Khader had been killed. When the body was eventually recovered, after coordination with the Israeli military, it showed that his son had died from several gunshot wounds.
“A 19-year-old boy who hadn’t even begun to live his life, all for fetching a box,” he said, barely holding back tears. He added that he hadn’t wanted Khader to go, but his son had felt that he needed to provide for his family.
“The situation here is beyond description. People are sacrificing themselves to make it. Only God knows what we are going through. No one feels for us — not Hamas, not Israel, not the Arab countries, not anyone.”
