Shadi Fatayer
27 February 2024
A 46-year-old father of five from Deir al-Balah, Shadi lost his wife Hanan, 37, and three of their children, Yusef, 4, ‘Abir, 12, and Muhammad, 19, in a bombing
When the war started, my wife Hanan and I moved with our five children, Muhammad, 19, Nader, 18, Ibrahim, 14, ‘Abir, 12, and Yusef, 4, to the hair salon where Hanan worked as a hairdresser, on the ground floor of a building in Deir al-Balah. We moved there because we thought we would be safer than staying in our apartment.
Hanan was the main breadwinner in the family. We were trying to save up to build our own apartment in a shared building with my brothers. We’d already signed checks to finance the construction.
On Thursday, 8 February 2024, we had dinner and all went to bed together, at the hair salon. At 9:45 P.M., we heard a loud explosion and the roof of the building and its pillars collapsed on us. Everything was dark and full of dust. Hanan was still holding my hand when a block of concrete fell on her, and I couldn’t move. I screamed out to the children and only Ibrahim answered. He said, “Dad, I’m going to die.” I told him to recite the Shahadatain. I shouted for help, hoping someone would hear me and save my wife and children. I called out to Hanan, but she didn’t respond. After about an hour, I suddenly heard my brother ‘Issam, 49, who came there with my other brothers. It took them about two hours to get me out from under the rubble, and then an ambulance took me to a hospital in Deir al-Balah. My brothers stayed behind and continued to help with the efforts to get my wife and children out.
After a few hours, my son Nader was brought to the hospital, too. He was mainly injured in the back and pelvis. An hour later, my son Ibrahim was also brought in. His right leg was broken and he had a neck injury. I had fractures in four of my left fingers, and my hand was put in a cast. I already knew that my wife Hanan and three of our children were killed: Yusef, who was holding Hanan’s hand at night, ‘Abir and Muhammad. My brothers said that two missiles landed in the street, and hit the building we were staying in and some other buildings. I heard about other people killed along with small children in the same bombing.
The next day at 8:00 A.M., they brought the bodies of Hanan, Yusef, ‘Abir and Muhammad to the hospital. It broke me and I couldn’t speak. I just looked at them. Later, there was a funeral procession to the old cemetery in Deir al-Balah, where we buried them all together in the same grave because there wasn’t enough room.
Muhammad had just finished high school and was planning to go on to university. ‘Abir was a good student and dreamed of becoming a doctor when she grew up. She was the only girl, and we pampered her because of that. I still can’t believe I lost them. I’ve been going to the cemetery every day since, sitting by the grave and talking to them.
* Testimony given to B’Tselem field researcher Khaled al-’Azayzeh on 27 February 2024
