Abed Bardini, a Palestinian ambulance worker, made a heart-wrenching discovery as he unloaded a stretcher bearing a casualty from a recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza. It was only when fellow medics lifted the blood-stained sheet that he recognized the face of his mother, Samira Bardini.
Overwhelmed by grief, Abed held his mother’s head and sobbed, his colleagues attempting to offer him some comfort. Unknowingly, he had sat beside her body as they traveled the difficult path back to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
The Israeli airstrike that took Samira’s life targeted a vehicle in the Maghazi refugee camp, killing three people and wounding at least ten others, according to Palestinian health officials and reporters from the Associated Press.
Hospital officials reported that two men in the vehicle died immediately, while 61-year-old Samira, who was nearby, suffered fatal injuries. The destruction brought pain not only to Abed’s family but to a community that witnessed yet another tragic loss amidst the ongoing conflict.
Palestinian Medic Discovers His Mother Among Casualties in Heartbreaking Aftermath of Gaza Airstrike
Once at the hospital, Abed, still unaware of his mother’s presence on the stretcher, unloaded her body with his usual professional demeanor. It wasn’t until the medical staff inside pulled back the blanket to check for vital signs that Abed recognized her and was overcome by the gravity of the moment. His colleagues supported him as he processed the tragedy, sitting beside her in the morgue after his tears had run dry.
Samira’s funeral took place in the hospital parking lot, where Red Crescent medics, friends, and family members held a prayer over her body. Abed took part in the rites and personally assisted in loading her body into an ambulance for the final time as she was taken to be buried. The sense of loss permeated the air, reflecting the deep personal toll of the ongoing conflict.
Israel has not provided immediate comments on the airstrike, maintaining that its operations in Gaza aim to precisely target militants while avoiding civilian casualties. However, the strikes often impact women, children, and other non-combatants.
This escalation follows the October 7 attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and involved 250 abductions. Since then, retaliatory strikes by Israel have resulted in over 43,000 Palestinian casualties, with health authorities in Gaza reporting that more than half are women and children.
