The Hamada family was attempting to escape. On Monday, the Israeli military had issued an evacuation order for their neighborhood in Gaza City. Bashar, 44, and Anam, 43, loaded four of their children and their young niece, Hind, into the car. However, their journey ended tragically. The family’s car was attacked; the parents and most of the children were killed, leaving 6-year-old Hind pleading for hours to be rescued. The exact details of the tragedy are uncertain, but it is beyond doubt that their car came under fire. The family’s story illustrates the ongoing risks faced by civilians in northern Gaza, even as Israel claims to be scaling down its military operations there. Despite multiple requests for comment, the Israel Defense Forces stated that they were not aware of the incident. The Washington Post provided specific coordinates and additional details to the IDF, but received no response. The events of that day were reconstructed by interviewing three family members, five members of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), and reviewing audio of phone conversations between dispatchers and the children in the car.
Interviewed for this article: Bashar Hamada, who drives alone to an unknown destination, he believed the whole family has fled while he, staying in a safe place, nurses his injuries and Hazem, one of Bashar’s cousin helped him to reach the Palestinian liaison office in the Gaza Strip where he could cross to the West Bank to have treatment and to bury his family members. Hind remains to be the only surviving member of the family next to the car in Al-Daraj, Gaza City as well as Ramadan Burnat, 30, and John Farrell, 60, from Doctors Without Borders are included in the interviews. [DocNo: 12231840]
In Ramallah, at around 2:28 p.m., Omar al-Qam, the sole dispatcher on duty, received a call from Mohammed Salem Hamada, who was 2,000 miles away in Frankfurt, Germany. Mohammed informed Omar that his family members were trapped in Gaza City. They were driving a black Kia Picanto and were targeted, with some of them killed. Mohammed provided the phone number for his 15-year-old niece, Layan, who called him to alert him of the situation. Omar called Layan, who sounded terrified. She informed him that the Israeli army had opened fire on their car, resulting in the death of her parents and all of her siblings except Hind and herself. Layan, who was bleeding, and Hind, the only other survivor, spoke to Omar before the line went dead. Omar then reached out to Rana Faqih, another dispatcher, who supported him as he dialed Hind’s number.
When Hind answered, Rana assured the frightened 6-year-old that she would stay on the line until help arrived. The conversation was difficult, as Hind’s voice was barely audible. Rana attempted to keep her calm and comforted her while they awaited assistance. Despite Rana’s efforts, Hind grew increasingly distant and frustrated as no one came to her aid. Eventually, the operators managed to connect Hind with her mother, who was sheltering elsewhere in Gaza City. Hearing her mother’s voice appeared to have a positive effect on Hind, who expressed her longing for her mother. At 5:40 p.m., approximately three hours after the initial call, the dispatchers received permission from the Palestinian Ministry of Health to send paramedics to Hind. They dispatched the nearest ambulance to the scene with two paramedics. As they neared Hind’s location, the paramedics radioed in, reporting heavy gunfire. The line with Hind was then lost, and there has been no communication from her or the ambulance crew since.