Zarifah a-Tanani (63), from Beit Lahiya, talks about the night her son, daughter-in-law and their four children were killed when their home was bombed by Israel on 13 May 2021
It’s been a year since my son and his family were killed. They were innocent victims murdered in cold blood. I don't understand why the Israeli military targeted my son and my family. We contacted the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights to help us get compensation, but so far it hasn't led to anything. Since I lost my son Raafat and his family, I’ve stopped attending social events. I miss them very much. When I look at my sons Fadi and Hatem, I feel like they're orphans without their brother Raafat, his wife and his children. He left a gaping hole in the family.
I always waited for his visits with his family. They're gone forever, an entire family buried. Since they died, I've had no peace. I'm mentally exhausted and have diabetes and high blood pressure. I think about my son all the time and can't function or concentrate on anything. Sorrow and depression have taken over my life. My heart aches and I cry over them all the time. Our tragedy is huge. I look at my little grandchildren's clothes that stayed behind and cry bitterly. We loved them so much. May we learn to be patient and cope with having their laughter and joy vanish from our lives. May God give us comfort.
I'd hoped to see my son and his family live and develop, but the occupation airplanes killed them within their own home. The grief is hard to bear. I hope the world listens to us. We've been killed time and again throughout history. Are we not human beings? The world must stand by us in solidarity with us. We must be given our rights.
The testimony was given to B'Tselem field researcher Olfat al-Kurd on 23 March 2022:
