Mohammed Al-Hadidi the Gaza father who lost 103 relatives have gone viral with his “who will call me dad?” question.
Mohammed al-Hadidi was excited to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with his wife and four sons, who had gone to see their grandparents in the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. He never believed that would be the last time he saw them alive.
On Saturday, May 15, 2024, Israeli aircraft struck the three-story building where his family was residing, killing ten individuals, including his wife and children, as well as thirteen other relatives.
The only survivor was his five-month-old baby, Omar, who was discovered beneath the wreckage in the arms of his deceased mother.
“I heard the sound of the explosion and I knew something terrible had happened,” Al-Hadidi told Al Jazeera. “I rushed to the scene and I saw the building completely destroyed. I started searching for my family, hoping to find them alive, but I only found their bodies.”
Al-Hadidi expressed his grief over the loss of his loved ones, whom he regarded as “the most precious thing in my life”. He questioned why Israel targeted his family, who had nothing to do with the armed organizations that have been firing rockets at Israel.
“They were innocent civilians, they had no weapons, they had no rockets, they had no affiliation with any political party,” he said. “They were just children, playing and laughing, enjoying their holiday. Why did they kill them? What did they do to deserve this?”
Al-Hadidi stated that he was now alone with his young son, who sustained a brain injury and burns in the attack. He stated that he did not know how to deal with the sorrow and the responsibility of parenting Omar without his mother and brothers.
“Who will call me Dad? Who will hug me and kiss me? Who will play with me and make me happy?” he said, wiping away his tears. “Omar is the only one left, but he is too young to understand what happened. He will grow up without knowing his family, without knowing his mother’s love, without knowing his brothers’ friendship.”
Al-Hadidi expressed optimism that the international community will intervene to stop Israeli aggression and alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, who have been subjected to a crushing blockade for more than a decade.
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