A journalist working in the Gaza Strip mourned the deaths of his four children and his brother after Israel launched an airstrike on the Al Maghazi refugee camp, killing at least 47 people and wounding dozens, including his wife and little son.
Mohammed Alaloul, a photographer for the Turkish news service Anadolu Agency, was at work when he learned that the refugee camp had been hit during an overnight airstrike, the New York Times reports.
With reports of multi-story houses flattened in the area and dead children arriving at a nearby hospital, Alaloul scrolled through the news on his phone until he learned that his family was trapped in the explosion.
Among the victims are his children: Qais, Ahmad, Rahaf and Kenaan.
Three of the children were only four years old.
Mohammed Alaloul sobbed as he looked at the bodies of his four children at Al-Aqsa Hospital on Sunday. AFP via Getty Images His only surviving son, Adam, suffered cuts to his face and body from shrapnel after an Israeli airstrike hit a refugee camp in Al Maghazi. AFP via Getty Images The grieving father helped transport the bodies of his children to the hospital. AFP via Getty Images
Alaloul’s wife, Amnah, and his youngest son, Adam, 1, survived the airstrike and were being treated at Al-Aqsa Hospital. Both were in critical condition.
Adam suffered shrapnel cuts, as did Amnah, who also suffered broken bones and severe burns to her face. Adam was seen being treated in the crowded hospital hallways like dozens of others, according to the Times.
Hours after the airstrike, Alaloul was at the hospital leading a funeral prayer near the entrance, still wearing his blue press vest issued to journalists working in Gaza.
Three of Alaloul’s four children who died in the explosion were only four years old. Majdi Fathi / NurPhoto / Shutterstock The photographer hugged his father outside the hospital, and Alaloul’s brother also died in the explosion. AFP via Getty Images
He was photographed sobbing as he carried and identified the bodies of his murdered children. He was also seen comforting his heartbroken father.
After the explosion in Al Maghazi, an Associated Press journalist saw at least eight dead children, including an infant, as the victims were taken to a nearby hospital after the airstrike.
Arafat Abu Mashaia, a refugee in the camp, condemned the Israeli airstrike and said the bombs hit a civilian area where Hamas was not present.
The refugee camp and nearby buildings were completely leveled, killing at least 47 people. AFP via Getty Images
“It was a real massacre,” he said as he stood in the rubble. “Everyone here is a peaceful people. I challenge anyone to say there was resistance. [fighters] here.”
Israel had no immediate comment on the strikes, but said it has only been targeting areas known to hide Hamas terrorists.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn