Alaa’s sad Mother’s Day after Israel’s war on Gaza killed her children
Al Jazeera
A mother and poet finds herself lost for words to process the loss of her four children this Mother’s Day.
Rafah, Gaza – It is nearly impossible to describe the feelings of a mother in the Gaza Strip on Mother’s Day.
A mother who has borne the pain of separation from her children, wept at the sight of them slipping into malnutrition and stayed up all night to try to reassure them that they were “safe” as Israel’s planes continued to drop bombs overhead.
Or a mother who has lost her children in Israel’s war on Gaza.
Alaa el-Qatrawi, 33, sits quietly, present in body but it is obvious that her mind is elsewhere. A few months ago, all four of her children were killed …
The PhD holder in Arabic studies is separated from her husband of nearly 10 years, Musa Qandil, and had been able to see the children only some of the time during the war.
