Reference :
V-P-IL-E-03247
Date :
27/02/2019
Caption :
This woman lost her son during the Intifada.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
ICRC web site, article of 28.05.2019: Time does not heal the wound - it teaches you to live with it
Losing someone you love is the worst nightmare every human being dreads. When you lose a loved one to conflict and violence, there is more than pain. There is anger and frustration. There is trying to make sense of a senseless loss, that leaves a gaping hole in your heart for the rest of your life.
For several decades, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been wreaking havoc in people’s lives. Members of the Parents Circle, an Israeli-Palestinian organisation of families, who have lost a family member to the ongoing conflict, share their stories of grief hoping that no other family has to live the horror they have been through.
"I was married very early. I had to leave my home behind and move in with a new family. It was a difficult time for me. When my baby boy, Mahmoud, was born, my life was illuminated. Suddenly everything made sense. When the Intifada started I was happy that Mahmoud was still a child. But he was growing fast and by the time he turned seventeen it was not over yet. One night, soldiers came to destroy a house and clashes broke out in our village. I was sure Mahmoud was in his room studying. When gunfire broke out in the street, I went around the house to check on my children. This was when I realised that Mahmoud was not at home, so I told his father to go look for him. I sat at home waiting, not knowing what to do. A neighbour came in and said: “Your son is in the hospital. But don’t worry he is fine.” I remember rushing to the hospital, imagining inside my head how I would scold Mahmoud for not listening to me when I told him to stay home.” When I entered the hospital, I saw my husband slapping his head with Mahmoud’s slippers, crying and screaming: “Mahmoud is gone!” At that moment I lost everything. My world collapsed. This pain never goes away. I could not bring myself to dance at my daughter’s engagement party. Every single day is just like the day I lost him", she tells.
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
4948x3299
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
black and white
