Gaza Strip – In yet another heart-wrenching incident that underscores the ongoing genocide in Gaza, 32-year-old Khaled Abu Huwaishel lost his mother, Saliha Abu Huwaishel, when an Israeli missile struck the tent where she was taking refuge, as per a report by the AFP.Amid man-made starvation and relentless airstrikes, Khaled’s mother was killed while waiting to bake bread for her hungry children.
On June 17, as Khaled’s mother and sister sheltered in a makeshift tent after being displaced multiple times, an Israeli airstrike targeted the area, instantly killing 55-year-old Saliha and injuring her daughter. The family, originally from Deir al-Balah, had been struggling to survive under the brutal siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.
“May God have mercy on her. My mother was kind and did not harm anyone. The occupation bombed my father’s tent. My mother was martyred and my sister was injured,” Khaled told Maktoob, grief-stricken.
Now burdened with the responsibility of his injured sister, hospitalized father, wife, four children, and other siblings, Khaled is trying to keep his broken family afloat amidst a growing humanitarian catastrophe.
“They deprived me of my mother’s love, her laughter, her voice,” he said. “She was martyred while she was happy with us. I used to buy her food and clothes from donations. Who will bring her back to me?”
Khaled also revealed that his mother died hungry. Just hours before her death, she had called him pleading for flour for her younger children. A donation came through, and Khaled managed to buy flour. His mother was excited to bake bread after two days of hunger. But at 2 a.m., their tent was bombed, killing her before she could fulfill that simple wish.
“Imagine, my mother died wanting bread. The night before she was martyred, she said, ‘Your father cannot provide flour. Can you?’ I said yes, and I did. But she never lived to see the morning,” he said in a deeply emotional message.
As the war continues, Khaled has launched a fundraiser through GoFund to seek help for his devastated family. His wife, Saima, says he is inconsolable. “He is broken. He’s in shock. I feel helpless,” she said.
Photos of Saliha have been shared widely, as Khaled pleads with the world to act and save what remains of his family. “I am tired. We just want bread. My children are starving, and now I lost my mother. May Allah give us patience,” he said.
At least 71 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Thursday, including two infants who died from malnutrition. With aid blocked and essential supplies dwindling, life in Gaza has become a struggle for mere survival.
As the genocide unfolds in real time across social media platforms, voices like Khaled’s offer a chilling reminder of the human cost of silence and inaction.
