Alaa Qaddoum: Her Toys Couldn't Stop Her Murder by Israeli Army

By: Mohammad Shaaban, MINA’s Contributor in Palestine

The toys of the Palestinian child, Alaa Qaddoum, who is only five years old, did not intercede her in front of the terrifying Israeli rockets that bombed her while she was playing in front of her aunt’s house in the Shejaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza.

Thus, the innocent Alaa became one of the first victims of the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the biggest witness to the criminality and brutality of the occupation.

Alaa was on her way to her aunt’s house, which was not far from her house. While she was waiting at the door, the door of death opened for her on the opposite side, which was embodied by the treacherous rockets of the Israeli wareplanes.

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Alaa’s brother, Riyad Qaddoum, 7 years old, was also with hir sister when they were targeted, and he has fractures throughout his body as he was critically injured. Riyad said, “Alaa told me to wait for her a little far from my aunt’s house because she wanted to bring the coffee thermos, as we we were about to go to the park.”

Alaa’s grandfather, Riyad Qaddoum, says, “Alaa and her brother Riyad went to their aunt’s house, as they love her very much because she is compassionate and generous with them. As soon as she reached the door of the house, Abu Fares Shalah, who is known for his kindness and good manners, was targeted, as he was sitting at the door of the mosque, as usual, waiting for Al-Asr prayer.

Alaa’s Grandfather added that the elderly Shallah was not alone, but that there was a group of young people around him waiting for prayer time in the mosque. The street was empty and there was no movement, besides that the entire area has only unarmed civilians. Though, civilians were directly targeted in the place without prior warning.

The aunt of the martyr, Alaa, was the first witness to the remains of the innocent children in the place. Once she heard the terrifying sound of the bombs, she rushed out and screamed loudly. Within moments, the people of the neighborhood gathered to witness one of the most heinous crimes committed by the inhuman occupation.

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The 5-year-old girl, along with the wounded and martyrs, was taken to Al-Shifa Medical Hospital, west of Gaza City, but she died quickly, succumbed to her injury in the bombing that left three martyrs, in addition to the critical injury of her father and brother Riyad.

Alaa’s grandmother, Najwa, said, “I did not know that she would be murdered when they told me that she was in the operating room, as I told myself that she would be fine. Even for her brother, Riyad, I did not know that he had fractures because I saw him at the entrance to the hospital’s reception. He was fine.”

Alaa was very attached to her grandmother, as Najwa said, “She used to come to me first before her mother to show me what she wrote in kindergarten, and I always motivate her. Also, her brother became a role model for her. He felt jealousy.”

The little girl, Alaa, was eagerly preparing to enroll in the pre-kindergarten stage, like the rest of the children, but her enthusiasm did not last long, and soon her dream faded in the blink of an eye.

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The signs of destruction were evident in the area where a number of Palestinian citizens were targeted. The windows were scattered on the sides of the road, as well as traces of shrapnel on the iron doors and walls, to be another witness to this heinous massacre.

With excruciating breath, Qaddoum expresses the pain that has exceeded the energies of Palestinians, saying, “It’s enough. No more targeting, no killing of innocents, no more aggression. From time to time, innocents are killed, houses demolished, and elders killed. The occupation state was founded on murder, destruction, and massacres.”

He asked in despair, “Where are human rights organizations? For whom do they work? Are they only for other peoples such as Ukraine and Western peoples? How many years has the occupation killed and massacred the Palestinian people? When will the Israeli occupation stop killing the Palestinian people?”

Riyad’s question was a clear message to the international community, which uses double standards to serve its interests, and condones thousands of crimes committed by the occupation against the Palestinians, especially children.

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The targeting of Alaa in the first moments of the Israeli aggression left a state of terrible shock, bringing to mind the continuous Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in general and against children, women, and the elderly in particular.

Human rights organizations for children in Palestine have documented the murder of about 2,200 Palestinian children by the Israeli occupation army from 2000 until the end of 2021.

Last year, 2021, 78 children were murdered in the Israeli aggression and attacks on Palestinian throughout occupied Palestine, which is the highest number among previous years. This proves that the occupation deliberately kills innocent children and makes them at the forefront of its bank of targets for every aggression.

Alaa was not the only one that was brutally targeted. 100s of Palestinian children were killed in the same way and in the most horrific way, amid a murderous international silence, while Palestinians are deprived of their humanity. (AKG/RE1)

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