Omar Abu al-Ouf, 17, Loses His Family in a Devastating Attack
For twelve harrowing hours, 17-year-old Omar Abu al-Ouf clung to his deceased sister’s body, trapped beneath a chaotic mass of concrete debris from their collapsed home. Nearby, his neighbor hung upside down, entangled in the wreckage of steel and brick.
Just meters away, his father, Dr. Ayman Abu al-Ouf, a prominent doctor managing the COVID-19 crisis in Gaza, lay crushed under the rubble. The respected physician was killed alongside 12 other family members when their multi-story building on Wehda Street in Gaza City was obliterated by a series of airstrikes.
“When the second missile hit, I tried to take my sister in my arms to protect her, but the third missile brought this wall of fire, and the floor disappeared beneath us,” Omar recounted to The Independent from his hospital bed.
A fourth missile struck, erasing everything in its path. Omar, now recovering at al-Shifa hospital, where his father served as head of internal medicine, suffered a broken arm and swollen legs covered in bruises. The bombing claimed the lives of his entire family, including his parents, two siblings, and grandparents.
As the sole survivor, Omar is grappling with the unbearable weight of loss. “I just want to know why they targeted my family. We are normal civilians, doctors,” he said, his expression a mix of disbelief and shock. “What fault did we do to deserve this?”
